


Forged In Fire

by FrauSchneider



Category: Lindemann, Rammstein, emigrate - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Blowjobs, Dragons, Dubious Consent, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, M/M, Restraints
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:02:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 35,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23775802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrauSchneider/pseuds/FrauSchneider
Summary: This is a AU short story inspired by Richard’s 2019 tour outfit. I haven’t chosen a title as yet. Also, apologies to anyone awaiting a new chapter on my other open work. Once I’ve got this one out of my head I’ll get back to finishing that one!As this is an AU there is a larger age gap between Schneider and Richard than IRL, putting Schneider  to Till’s age, all others remain as normal.Edit: my thanks to darby_harper for the title suggestion, and continued support.
Relationships: Richard Kruspe / Christoph Schneider
Comments: 23
Kudos: 41





	1. One

The morning air was still chilly despite the rising sun as the young Dragon Warrior crossed the internal courtyard and headed towards the stone steps that led down inside the mountain. The castle was perched high on the mountainside in a defensible position, but having the dragons’ lairs in the enormous cavern located below the dungeons, and open to the air on one side above a sheer cliff, they provided an extra level of protection that few people were mad enough to attempt an attack.

Shivering in response to the colder temperature as he started to descend the steps, carved from the rock itself, the warrior was glad that his destination would be rather warmer. With one hand holding onto the thick rope - attached to the wall to act as a handrail - for stability, he followed the passage down to where it levelled out at the main point of entry to the dungeon levels and continued on to the next set of steps that would bring him eventually to the dragons’ level. The way was lit by wall sconces every few metres, kept burning by servants who replaced them when they winked out.

The farther down the warrior reached, the warmer and drier the air became. With the closer proximity came the fetid stench of dragon breath, a mixture of rotted meat and sulphur. He was glad of the helmet he wore, despite the fact that the metal could become almost unbearably hot in the lair, as it filtered out the worst of the smell.

Finally reaching the lowest level, the warrior made his way past the entrances to the lairs of other dragons until he arrived at his own. Pulling open the heavy metal doorway he stepped inside.

“Good morning, gorgeous!”

His dragon - a large female - turned her long sinewy neck to face him, huffing curls of smoke from her nostrils in greeting. He ran his hands over the large black scales on her flank, smoothing them down as he approached her. The smaller scales under her belly were blood red, matching the hide on her wings, and the wicked talons on her feet.

“Have you finished your breakfast, yet? The Queen has a job for us this morning so I need to get your harness on.”

The dragon gave a low rumble in response and turned her head back to snatch up the remainder of the cow she’d been given by her handler in her massive jaws, bones crunching as she chewed before swallowing. The warrior turned to the handler, who had retrieved the harness when he saw the warrior approaching down the tunnel, and took the saddle from him.

It was an important part of building the bond between dragon and rider that the rider should be the one to put the harness on, and remove it again afterward. Warriors were paired up with dragons for life. Unfortunately, for many warriors, those lives could end up being cut short, due to being the target of attack from enemy archers, or as a result of not treating their charges properly, ending up as a meal instead.

While the dragon consumed the rest of her breakfast the warrior used her foreleg as a step up, so that he was able to place the specially constructed saddle on her back, leaving the girth straps hanging down behind her far side shoulder ready to be passed underneath her when she finally rose up. Dropping agilely to the cavern floor he accepted the bridle from the handler and waited for the dragon to move.

After what seemed to be an unnecessary amount of bone crunching, which the warrior suspected that she did on purpose knowing that he hated the sound of it, the dragon heaved herself up on her front legs to sit upright. The warrior walked around the front of her, grimacing behind his helmet at the littered remains of his ride’s meal, and caught hold of the end of the straps, walking underneath her chest in order to fasten the loose ends to the other side of the saddle.

“How does that feel? Not too tight?”

The dragon raised her rear end and shook herself from head to tail, testing the saddle straps for comfort. Apparently satisfied, she gave another small puff from her nostrils in response. Nodding to himself, the warrior removed the bridle from his shoulder and walked up to her head, the dragon lowering her neck in acquiescence, allowing him to fasten the leather headpiece in place.

“We’re going to be partnered up with Till and Morningstar today, apparently Her Majesty is sending out a couple of troops to visit all the nearby villages with a new decree, and we’re to provide backup in case of any civil unrest. I’m pretty sure that’s overkill and all we’ll need to do is sit there looking pretty.”

Another huff, with what sounded like a tinge of amusement.

“Do you really think Firefly understands what you’re saying to her?” Oliver, the handler, asked.

“Maybe not everything I say, no, but I believe she understands the nature of what I’m saying. Surely you must have noticed that she seems to have learned the phrases you use everyday with her?”

“Perhaps. I’ve just never seen any other rider speak to their dragon the same way that you do, that’s all.”

“Well, that’s their loss, but the other dragons aren’t as clever as Firefly, are they girl?”

A snort, and a nudge from the end of her snout against his shoulder was her response.

“See!?”

The warrior planted a foot on her foreleg again, then swung himself up into the saddle. He adjusted the straps on the attached stirrups until he was certain he was seated as safely as possible, then took up the reins in his gloved hands.

“Okay gorgeous, up to the courtyard to join the others. Hup….”

Firefly took a few lumbering steps forward out of her lair, then leapt forward at the wide entrance to the caverns and out into the open air. The warrior’s stomach lurched as the two of them dropped for a moment before Firefly’s wings caught the thermal air currents, gliding in a large arc then beating her wings to gain altitude. 

It didn’t take her long to get them high enough above the castle to work out where she should come into land. The foot-soldiers were waiting in front of the drawbridge for their commanders who would be travelling on horseback, leaving the courtyard clear for the two Dragon Warriors to set down.

“Nice of you to join us, Richard… Firefly…” the warrior that had been referred to as Till said in greeting as they landed.

“You say that as if we’re late, the sun still hasn’t cleared the mountains yet!”

Till shook his helmeted head. “Sooner or later you’ll slip up and I for one don’t want to be around to see the consequences! The Queen will have your head on a platter…”

“You’re in a lovely mood this morning, what’s wrong? Did Morningstar fart on your head again?”

Firefly snickered, while the other dragon turned his head at the mention of his name.

“I’ve heard a rumour of what’s contained in this new decree. I don’t like it, the people won’t like it, and you definitely won’t like it, if what I’ve heard is true.”

Before Richard could ask him what he meant by that, the troop commanders entered the courtyard having come from the Great Hall where the queen had given them their instructions. Standing at what they thought was a relatively safe distance from the two dragons, they called up to the two Dragon Warriors.

“We will be splitting up into two companies, with one dragon per company, while we deliver Her Majesty’s message to the people in the villages. We will reunite into one company for the larger towns and cities. You are to provide aerial cover, and if necessary add an additional level of enforcement in the event of civil disobedience. Understood?”

“Sir, yes sir!” The pair answered in tandem.

“Good. Wait a few minutes for us to get underway then follow us accordingly.”

The two commanders finished crossing the courtyard and exited through the large stone gateway, heading towards their mounts being held by ostlers close to the drawbridge.

Once they were out of hearing range Richard looked across to his friend.

“Well?”

“I’ll wait until after we’re back to tell you, just in case it is just a rumour. You should have a clear head while we’re out, but if I’m right, please remember that the commanders are just the messengers. Don’t let Firefly eat them no matter how angry you get.”

“Oh, sure…that’s going to make sure my head’s clear! Thanks for that!”

Till grunted from behind his helmet in response, then gave the vocal command for Morningstar to launch them both skyward, the larger dragon’s golden scales glinting in the bright dawn sunlight. A moment later Richard and Firefly were hot on their heels, the female dragon gaining on them quickly due to her smaller size lending her greater speed.

They flew side by side for the first minute or so, waving a farewell as they split up to follow their own set of soldiers, marching in different directions away from the mountain, following the mounted commanders as they rode forward on their predetermined route.

Richard decided to get Firefly to set down on a grassy knoll near the first village square that the troops visited, curious to hear what this mysterious decree was that Till had been certain he wouldn’t like.

“…is the Queen’s sad duty to inform you, her loyal subjects, of the passing of her husband, His Majesty King Zoran…”

The assembled villagers gasped in surprise at the announcement. Richard’s jaw had dropped, hidden from view by his helmet, shocked that this was the first he was hearing of it.

“…As a result, her Majesty, Queen Hilda, is taking over the running of the Kingdom. Initial investigations into the King’s death suggest that he was murdered by a male lover, and so a reward for the capture of the murderer is set at 100 gold coins. In addition to this, all those men found practicing the abhorrent sin of laying with other men will be arrested and interrogated. This has been written into law with immediate effect…”

There was a great muttering among the crowd, some shaking their heads in disbelief or gesticulating angrily. The King was known for having a more liberal and relaxed view when it came to sex and relationships, hearing that he had a male lover as well as being married to the Queen was no real surprise to the villagers. This new law banning homosexual relations was extremely unsettling, and not just to the crowd…

Listening to the words spilling from the commander’s lips Richard started to feel lightheaded, his stomach churning. Now he knew why Till had said he wouldn’t like it. He wondered whether he should just get Firefly to carry him far away to another kingdom. But if he did that and was caught before he’d escaped, he would almost certainly be charged with the King’s murder and be executed without trial. No, he was innocent, so he would have to hope that the real killer would be found. He’d discuss it with Till when they got back to their barracks, the older man would know what to do.

Realising that the troops were starting to move out again, on to the next village, Richard took a steadying breath, willing his head to clear again. This was going to be a long day.

“Come on, girl, time to go and make more people unhappy.”


	2. Two

Evening was starting to draw in, as the sun lowered behind the mountains in the distance. The two sets of troops had joined together again as they drew close to the final town on the day’s list, which meant that the two Dragon Warriors and their mounts were reunited. While the villagers and townsfolk were evidently angry and upset at the Queen’s proclamation, there was very little disturbance requiring direct intervention by the regular troops, let alone their awe-inspiring backup.

Finding an elevated position wide enough for both dragons to set down, the two friends moved their face shields just enough to make conversation easy without revealing their identities to the crowds below.

“Are you okay, Richard?”

“It’s pretty safe to say I am not okay. We need to talk about it later, when we’re away from anyone who might overhear us. I don’t want to think about it right now.”

Till looked at the younger man, then followed his gaze to the other side of the town’s market square, to where a performance had been taking place on a makeshift stage before the troops had arrived. Richard’s gaze appeared to be on a tall man who had been acting in the role of some female character in the play. While he couldn’t make out much in the way of details, the actor appeared to be quite handsome, not that Till was interested.

“No, I can see what you’re thinking about, or perhaps I should say who…. Be careful that nobody spots you staring at mister tall-dark-and-handsome, or you’ll be thrown in the dungeons before you know what’s happening.”

Richard turned his head to regard his friend, sighing quietly.

“What am I going to do, Till? Do you think anyone knows about me and the King? Aside from yourself and the King’s personal assistant?”

“I don’t honestly know. Like you said, we’ll discuss it later, preferably with a few beers. Buck up, looks like we’re done here, time to return to the castle, and not before time - Morningstar was starting to eye up villagers as snacks.”

***

Back at the dragons lair Richard removed the saddle and bridle from Firefly, handing them to Oliver so the handler could clean them properly later. Before joining up with Till the young warrior petted his mount, scratching her under the chin and behind her ears and horns, praising her for behaving herself while they were working. He removed his helmet, wanting to feel the breeze wafting in from the entrance to the caves.

“Could you give Firefly double servings tonight please? She wasn’t able to get anything to eat all day, and I wouldn’t want her to try taking a chunk out of you if she’s feeling hungry.”

Oliver looked mildly alarmed at that thought, still new enough in his post that he wasn’t sure whether the warrior was joking or not. He nodded in acknowledgment of the request, and went off to fetch her meal.

“I’ve got a couple of days off now, so be good for Oli, won’t you? He’s trying his best but will still make a few mistakes when looking after you. Try not to eat him before I get back, okay?”

Firefly snickered and puffed out some smoke, then rubbed her long snout against Richard’s upper arm. He wrapped an arm around her head and planted a kiss in the centre of her leathery snout.

“Good girl, I love you too. See you soon, gorgeous.”

Richard headed to the soldiers quarters, looking forward to a warm bath and his bunk. It wasn’t the most comfortable bed, certainly nowhere near as luxurious as the one in the King’s bedchamber, but it seemed like heaven after a long day in the saddle. His thighs ached from where he’d been gripping Firefly’s flanks as she soared above the countryside.

He stripped off his leather outer garments with stiff muscles, and placed them on his chair at the end of the bunk ready for polishing later. Grabbing the cotton towel and rough bar of soap that all the soldiers were provisioned with, he headed to the communal baths. Fortunately his rank as Dragon Warrior afforded him and his fellow riders a separate bath from the common foot soldiers, so there was more space for them than in the main bath.

Richard placed his towel on one of the benches lining the sides of the bath, then sat down to remove his undergarments, wincing as his limbs complained about the treatment they’d been subjected to throughout the day. He placed his clothes at the edge of the bath and put the soap on top of the pile, before slipping into the warm water. As he and Till had been the only Dragon Warriors out on duty that day, the bath was empty and the water clean, but that would change once his friend and roommate arrived. He was glad that he was lighter on his feet than Till, enabling him to dismount more quickly and finish the handover to Oliver before Till had even swung his leg over the saddle. Till wasn’t fat by any stretch of the imagination, but his muscles made for a much greater bulk when wearing their leather armour on top, the combination creating more restrictive movements.

The young man allowed himself a sigh of relief as the water enveloped him. He sat on the submerged stone shelf for a few moments before taking a deep breath and immersing himself completely, only breaking the surface again when he felt he could no longer hold his breath. He swept his hair back over his head with both hands so that it dripped down his neck and back rather than his face. He retook his seat on the stone shelf and reached for the soap, creating a lather and then vigorously started cleaning himself all over.

While he was busy working on his legs and feet Till arrived, sitting down heavily on one of the available benches as he disrobed, the wood creaking as it took his weight. Richard looked up, amused at the sound.

“One of these days you’re going to snap one of those like a twig, and I hope to be there to witness it as you fall on your ass.”

“You keep your eyes off my ass! I’ve told you, we’re good friends but not that good!” Till replied, with a playful grin.

“Don’t flatter yourself! You’re not my type!” Richard retorted, matching Till’s grin with one of his own.

Till finished undressing and plunged unceremoniously into the large bath, sending up a great splash that splattered everything in the immediate vicinity, Richard included.

“You utter twat! You did that on purpose!”

“You’re already wet all over, stop whinging!”

If anyone else had called Till a twat, or something similar, they would have immediately regretted it, as the large warrior was known for breaking bones as a lesson about respect. But Richard was allowed to get away with it as his good friend. Till had taken Richard under his wing, so to speak, after he’d seen the then trainee Dragon Warrior being harassed by the foot soldiers in the barracks.

***

Richard had been sent to train with the Dragon Warriors as a teenager after he’d intervened in what could have been a fatal situation. Some soldiers had been sent to bring a young dragon that the king had recently purchased. They had been carrying it in a cage, drugged so that it slept during the journey to the castle, but the mud road leading up to it was slick with ice following some recent wintry weather, causing one of the soldiers to slip and fall. As a result the weight of the dragon in the cage shifted, making the three other soldiers lose their grip, the cage dropping to the ground and splitting open. One soldier was quick enough to grab the chain attached to the dragon’s metal neck collar before the animal could get away, but the dragon was now awake and angry, flapping her wings and trying to claw at her captor who kept yanking on the chain.

The young Richard had been at the market set up near the foot of the road and had witnessed the incident. Thinking quickly he grabbed a haunch of meat from a nearby butcher’s stall and ran toward the scene. He slowed as he approached and held out the meat at arms length, telling the soldier to hold still and that he’d get the small dragon to calm down.

With nothing to lose from letting the boy try, the soldier stopped pulling on the chain and waited to see what he would do. Nodding in acknowledgment, Richard got a little closer and started talking to the dragon in a calm even voice.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you. I know you’re scared and angry, and maybe a bit hungry too? Here, I’ve brought you some meat…why don’t you come down here and you can have it. I promise these men won’t hurt you, will you?”

That last question was aimed at the soldiers who were starting to scoff at how he was talking to the dragon, but were silenced when she flapped her wings in a slow descent, settling a few feet from Richard, curious but wary. Seeing this Richard quietly requested that nobody move, he placed the meat on the floor and stepped backwards towards the soldier holding her chain.

She watched him carefully then edged closer to the meat, giving it a tentative sniff before tearing a chunk out of it with her sharp beak.

“You like that, huh? These men are taking you to that castle up there, where there’ll be plenty more meat for you. I’m sure they’ll give you all you can eat if you go with them without any trouble. Can you do that?”

Her snack finished, the dragon cocked her head to one side and huffed out a puff of smoke.

“I think that’s a yes. You should be okay now.”

The soldiers started to move away but the dragon didn’t budge. Stopping, the one holding the chain handed it to Richard.

“Looks like she won’t come without you. Congratulations, she’s your problem.”

Richard swallowed nervously.

“Um, could you buy some more meat, and pay the butcher for the bit she’s already eaten?”

“Scared it’s going to eat you on the way up?”

“I’m more worried she might try to eat you - I’m too skinny to make a good meal, but you’re not!”

That got a laugh from the townsfolk watching from a safe distance, but the soldier didn’t seem amused.

“Just get it up to the castle…”

One of the King’s close advisers had witnessed the whole scene, and decided to watch how it continued to unfold, following the small group up the hill. On their arrival, Richard was shown who to hand the dragon over to. The advisor asked the boy if he wanted some food for himself as he looked scrawny, sending a servant to fetch a bowl of broth, before heading quickly to see the king.

When he returned, the boy was wiping his bowl clean with a chunk of bread, munching happily. He asked Richard a bit about his background before telling him that the king would like to offer him the opportunity to stay at the castle and train with the Dragon Warriors, which Richard agreed to with wide eyes.

He was shown the way to the barracks and was told he would be met by the man who would be his commander. As a new recruit he was expected to bunk down in the main residences with the other soldiers, but he was mercilessly bullied by the foot soldiers for the first few nights until it was witnessed by Till. He’d heard about the boy who’d calmed a dragon, potentially saving the lives of the soldiers, and had gone along to see the kid for himself.

Stepping in amongst those who were taunting the boy, Till berated them for their behaviour, pointing out what he’d done, then announced that as the boy was going to be training as a Dragon Warrior like himself, that he’d be housed in the same room as him, and if anyone wanted to pick on the kid they would have to deal with him.

Till was a respected warrior amongst the men, so they took him at his word, melting back towards their own bunks, not wanting to risk a black eye or broken nose. Telling Richard to grab his few belongings he led the way to the room that he had been occupying on his own up until now, showing Richard which bed was his. From then on, Richard had done his best to repay Till for his kindness by working and training as hard as he could, the two becoming firm friends in the few years since.

***

“So, we’ve got a bit of a problem with that proclamation, don’t we?”

They were shut in their room, away from potential prying ears, sitting on their bunks knocking back a tankard of ale each.

“You mean I’ve got a problem, you’re not the King’s lover, and you don’t sleep with men either.”

“What the king does to you is about as far from love as anything can get. I wish I’d been the one to kill him for you!”

“We’ve been over this before, and anyway, I don’t think he’s dead…or if he is, it must be that he’d got himself a new ‘lover’…”

“Victim…”

“…whatever…and they’re the one who killed him. That possibly explains why he’s not sent for me recently.”

“Perhaps. It’s good to see that your bruises are finally fading. You don’t have to go around covered up all the time now, you can get some sun on that milky white skin of yours at last!”

Richard scowled, he hated having the attention brought to the blemishes on his skin. Till had only recently discovered the true nature of Richard’s relationship with the king when the young man had fallen on his backside while parrying a blow from Till during weapons training. He’d held out his hand to pull him to his feet, and had grasped Richard’s wrist where there was some new bruising making him yelp. Only then did he notice the discoloured skin in a gap between Richard’s sleeve and his glove. He waited until they were back in the room before confronting his friend about it.


	3. Three

“We’ve still got to work out what to do with the situation. The Queen will be trying to root out all the potential suspects within the castle grounds, and if she questions the King’s personal assistant, then there’s a good chance he’ll name you.”

“Maybe, maybe not. He knows that if I’m questioned that I can name him too, and he’s got more opportunities than I have of getting close to the king.”

“While that’s true - and it sickens me that he hurt you too - unfortunately when it comes to your word against his, who is the Queen more likely to believe?”

Richard sighed.

“So, what should I do? Just stay around here waiting to be arrested and hanged, or do I make a run for it?”

“I don’t know. Running would certainly make you appear guilty, and would speed up checks into your recent movements, and would guarantee a price being put on your head. On the other hand, staying here means you’re more easily captured if you are named as a suspect, but there’s also the chance that someone else is found out instead.”

“Don’t forget that there’s also a chance the king isn’t dead. I mean, has anyone seen his dead body? Maybe the Queen’s decided to lock him up somewhere as a punishment for cheating on her, and has made up the story of his death to cover up his disappearance!”

Till grunted. The kid had a point. It still didn’t help matters though.

“I’m too tired to think clearly. Perhaps I’ll have a plan once I’ve had the chance to sleep on it. At least you’ve got a couple of days off to work on it. Did you say you were going for a ride out tomorrow?”

“Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve visited my old village. I thought I might go and see if my parents’ home is still standing, and whether anyone has moved into it.”

“Well, if you’re passing any markets can you pick up some of those sweet cakes I like?”

“Sure. But I’ll have to ration them, you know you’ll only eat them all in one go otherwise!”

“You’re no fun! Now shut up and let me sleep. Some of us have shift duty tomorrow.”

“Sir, yes sir!” Richard threw a mock salute at Till, who was technically his superior officer, receiving a rude hand gesture in response from the older man as he pulled the covers up over himself.

***

Till had already left for his shift when Richard woke up. He stretched his arms out as he yawned, trying to shift the knots in his muscles. He got dressed in the only set of civilian clothes he owned - he rarely left the castle grounds except for when on duty, so he never saw the point of having another set - then headed to the mess hall for breakfast.

An hour later he was in the stables, saddling the strawberry roan horse that he’d been assigned after successfully completing his first stage of training. Before being allowed to train with dragons, new recruits had to show a high level of proficiency on horseback, and be able to control them without using their hands.

Richard had passed with flying colours and was soon working with Firefly - the dragon he’d helped bring to the castle - helping to train her now she was big enough to be able to carry a rider. Once he’d completed his training he’d been gifted the horse he’d trained on by the king. Till had pointed it out that the horse was no doubt a ‘reward’ for the treatment Richard endured at the hands of the monarch. The young warrior agreed, but as he had formed a bond with the horse he wasn’t going to refuse the gift.

Leading his horse out into the courtyard once he was fully tacked up, Richard checked that he’d got his money purse stowed safely in his inside pocket, donned his gloves and mounted up. A gentle nudge from his heels on his horse’s flanks got them moving. Starting the long descent down the mountain road at a walking pace, Richard’s mind wandered as he considered the events of the previous day.

Neither he nor Till had come up with the best way to approach his problem, and with Till absent that morning he couldn’t ask him if he’d had any ideas overnight. He hoped that maybe taking some time away from the castle in the country air might help him get some perspective on the situation. He found himself thinking back to when they visited the town where there had been a play being performed in the square, and the handsome long-haired man dressed as a female character, wondering what he might be doing that day.

An hour or so after their departure, Richard and his horse had finally reached the lower slopes near the village where he’d helped the soldiers with Firefly. Nothing seemed to have altered much in the few short years since that fateful day, apart from himself and his situation. Life seemed to be continuing unaffected by the recent announcement, with people going about their usual daily business whether that was working the fields producing food, or the tanner making leather from animal hides - set some way from most of the town because of the stench of the urine used in the tanning process, or the woman talking to friends or neighbours while their children ran about laughing and screaming as they played.

Richard recognised some of the villagers and greeted them as he rode by, the men nodding at him and the women smiling and waving. He followed the main road through the town continuing on along the fork in the road where the troops had returned to the castle the day before. Here at the lower altitude the alpine meadows turned gradually to woodland, and the stone-paved road petered out into a wide mud trail, lines crisscrossing where horse-driven carts had passed in both directions, the horses’ hooves leaving u-shaped imprints in their wake.

Some time later the horse and rider arrived at a crossroad, a wooden signpost marking out the directions to the nearby towns and villages. Taking the turn for the village where he’d grown up Richard clicked his tongue and squeezed his heels gently to get his horse into a trot then a canter, letting the beast stretch its legs. As they approached the small bunch of dwellings Richard reined in his mount, the horse snorting and shaking its head as it caught its breath.

The small stone building where he’d spent his childhood with his parents was beyond the far side of the village, along a small track through the woodland, in a sheltered part of the valley overlooked by steep cliffs from a smaller mountain than the one he now called home. The horse picked its way carefully along the overgrown track, brushing nettles and ferns aside with its long legs or trampling them under hoof. Richard was getting the impression that nobody had been this way in some time, which meant that his old home was probably unoccupied.

Before long the stone hut came into view. It appeared to be untouched since he left it, the door still closed and the shutters still latched. The shrubs and underbrush had started to take over the clearing around the house, making it somewhat difficult to get to the door, but after dismounting and leading his horse carefully, they finally reached their destination. Richard tied the reins around a nearby tree trunk, allowing his horse enough freedom to graze while he inspected his old home. He really ought to think of a name for his horse, he mused as he patted its neck, up to now he’d just been referring to it as ‘the horse’ when he spoke with anyone. He’d been unable to think of a name that seemed suitable.

He picked his way to the door and retrieved the large iron key that he’d hung around his neck by a leather thong so that he wouldn’t lose it. Brushing the cobwebs away from the lock he inserted the key, the lock making a ‘thunking’ sound as he turned it. Richard pressed the lever and the wooden door swung inwards, creaking in protest after having been abandoned for years. Stepping inside Richard moved to the windows and opened the shutters to let the hazy sunshine in.

Looking around, Richard’s mind was flooded with memories of his childhood, and of his parents. His father, a carpenter by trade, had made all the furniture in their single-roomed home. The table and chairs were the centrepiece, placed on a rug purchased from a travelling merchant who had passed through the village. One end of the room had been curtained off to make two small bedrooms, one with a cot for him, the other a wooden bedstead for his parents. 

There was a fireplace in the centre of the rear wall, with a metal hook on a stand that his mother used to hang the cooking pot over the fire. He had a sudden flashback to wintry evenings eating rabbit stew, which his mother ladled into wooden bowls, again made by his father.

Although they didn’t have much in the way of money or possessions they were happy. But then there was a war, and all able-bodied men were called on to fight for their king and country. Richard’s father left to become a soldier and never came home. His mother tried her best to look after the two of them, but eventually hunger took her away from Richard too. She had gone to the village to try to sell some of her late husband’s woodwork she had left over when she collapsed. 

One of the village women came to the house to fetch Richard, then barely thirteen years old, but his mother had succumbed to the organ failure caused by malnutrition before he got there. They buried her in the small village graveyard, and he returned home to pack up his meagre belongings. He locked up and left to try and find someone who’d be willing to take on an apprentice in order to earn enough money to survive, and had eventually ended up at the village at the foot of the mountain the castle was perched on.

Everything inside his old home seemed smaller to Richard now, making him realise how much he’d grown in the last few years. Going on the changes of the seasons he reckoned he’d spent two years in the village, and a further three at the castle. He wasn’t sure when his birthday was, so Till had declared it to be the same date as he’d arrived at the castle. He was eighteen now, a man by all accounts, and a trained warrior, but he still missed his mother. He barely remembered his father, he just got the occasional image in his head whenever he caught the scent of sawdust.

He remembered that although his father liked to work outside in the clearing he had constructed a workshop behind the house which he used to store all his work in. The smaller building had been emptied gradually as his mother sold the furniture and other items her husband had made, and later in her desperation the tools themselves in a bid to get enough money for food.

Richard walked out of the house and rounded the rear of the property. After a quick inspection of the workshop he decided that with some slight modifications it could be turned into a stable if necessary. He’d talk with Till about it later, thinking that it could be a suitable hideaway. The only person still alive who knew him, and that knew its location aside from Till, was the villager who’d come to fetch him to his mother, but the woman was old and deaf now and unlikely to give it away if he ended up using it again.

Closing the shutters and locking the door behind him, Richard hung the key around his neck again, slipping it under his shirt. He untied his horse and led it back through the overgrown clearing, stopping next to a rock which he used to help boost him up into the saddle. He clicked his tongue and the horse plodded forward along the track that would lead them back to the mud road.

Instead of retracing their earlier route, Richard turned them the opposite direction, deciding to try and locate a town or village who might be having their market day in order to buy the sweet cakes Till had asked for. Once again he nudged the horse on to a canter, enjoying the thrill of the speed, and the wind blowing through his hair as the woodland flashed by.

They reached a fork in the road as a narrower route led to another village, but the main road he was on apparently led to a town according to the signpost. Richard recognised the name as being one of the ones on the previous day’s route, but he couldn’t say which was which if he had to point to them on a map. That was an area of knowledge he needed to brush up on.

He let the horse have its head as it had been a while since he’d taken it for a decent ride anywhere, and could feel it chomping at the bit eager to gallop flat out. They’d covered roughly a mile when the horse caught a hoof on something, causing it to stumble and pull up short. Richard only just managed to stop himself from sailing through the air over the horses’s head and neck. Pushing himself upright back into the saddle, he took a moment while he waited for his heart to stop pounding, then dismounted.

He looked back down the road and saw a rock sticking up out of the mud, and closer to him a horseshoe. He swore under his breath as he started inspecting each hoof in turn to find which one was missing a shoe. Once he’d located it, he quickly retrieved the shoe from the road, then proceeded to lead the horse on foot the rest of the way to the town.

The going was slower than he would have liked, but he didn’t want to risk laming his horse. He hoped that the town ahead would have a blacksmith as he didn’t fancy having to walk the horse all the way back to the castle. Fortunately they’d made good progress towards the town before they stopped, so they only had to continue another half mile to reach their destination.

Richard heaved a sigh of relief as they approached the first set of buildings. He stopped a man who was passing on horseback to ask if there was a blacksmith in the town. Luckily there was, and Richard set off following the directions that the rider had given him. The town was quite a bit larger than the villages he was normally used to visiting on his downtime so it took several minutes before he found the street he was told he needed.

As he turned down it and continued on he became aware of the sound of metal striking metal, signalling that he was very close. 

“Not much further now, and then we’ll get your shoe fixed.” Richard informed the horse.

He could see the blacksmith’s forge building up ahead, the clamour increasing in volume with every step. Richard led the horse into the yard in front of the forge, catching the attention of the smith as he tied the horse to a metal ring attached to the wall opposite the entrance. Finishing the piece he was working on, the blacksmith plunged it into the cold water bath and set it aside to finish cooling. Wiping his hands on a cloth, the blacksmith walked towards Richard and the horse.

“Can I help you?”

Richard finishing securing the horse and turned to answer the blacksmith.

“Oh…it’s you!”


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard and Christoph finally meet...for those who were waiting for this moment!

That wasn’t the response that the blacksmith was expecting, as he looked the young man up and down trying to see if he could place him, drawing a blank.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“Oh, um…no. It’s just that I saw you doing that play yesterday, although your outfit was a bit different of course…”

“Ah, right. I don’t recall seeing you in the audience…”

Richard looked down, shifting from foot to foot awkwardly.

“I wasn’t actually in the audience, but I could see you on the stage from the hill I was on.”

The blacksmith narrowed his eyes at that, from what he could recall the only people on the hill overlooking the town square were the

“Dragon Warriors…” he said, completing his train of thought out loud.

Richard’s eyes widened as he realised that he’d inadvertently given away his identity as one of the elite warriors. They wore their full-face helmets so that their identities remained secret. 

The blacksmith guessed what he was thinking, quickly adding, “Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me. How can I help you, sir?”

“My horse has thrown a shoe, I was hoping you could either fix or replace it.”

Richard fished the old shoe from his pocket, holding it out for the blacksmith to look at. The taller man, who Richard guessed was maybe in his mid-twenties, took it from him to inspect. He turned it over in his calloused hands.

“This has worn too thin to be of any use, I wouldn’t tarnish my reputation by putting that back on! You definitely need a replacement shoe. Can you show me which hoof it came from?”

Lifting up the appropriate leg, Richard held it up while the blacksmith inspected it.

“Hmm, I’ll need to file it down before putting the new shoe on. It’s going to take a while, and will cost two silver coins. Is that okay?”

“I don’t have any silver coins on me, will a gold coin be satisfactory?”

The blacksmith quirked an eyebrow. Clearly the young warrior had no clue as to the equivalent value of the various coins in circulation.

“If it’s a genuine coin, then it’s enough for two replacements. I’ve only time for one today. Are you able to leave the horse and come back tomorrow?”

“Uh, no. I’ll need it to ride back to the castle. But I could return tomorrow for the other one. Is there anywhere I can wait while you work?” Richard asked as he handed over one of his coins.

Taking the coin, the blacksmith raised it to his mouth and bit it, to check it wasn’t a fake. Satisfied, he slipped it into a pocket.

“I don’t exactly have anywhere for you to sit, but there’s plenty of places to eat and drink in town, and it’s market day…”

“Oh, that reminds me, a friend of mine wanted some sweet cakes, do they have those in the market?”

The blacksmith laughed, Richard decided he liked the sound of it. 

“You don’t get out of the castle much, do you? Yes, there are probably a few stalls selling sweet cakes, I’m guessing your friend is the other warrior on the golden dragon? He probably has quite an appetite judging by his size…”

Richard nodded. “You can say that again! Thanks for the information. Uh, when should I come back for the horse?”

“The horse? Doesn’t he have a name?”

“Not yet, no. I can’t decide what to call him.”

“Do you have a name?”

“I’m Richard. What should I call you?”

Anything you want… was what the blacksmith wanted to say. “Christoph. Give me a couple of hours with ‘the horse’ - I need to finish something else off first. Oh and hey…”

Richard stopped to look back just as he was turning to leave. The blacksmith passed three silver coins to him.

“Your change. I don’t suggest you flash your gold coins about in town, it’ll draw the wrong kind of attention.”

Richard looked up at Christoph and smiled. “Thanks. See you later.”

He turned on his heel and headed into town, leaving the blacksmith staring thoughtfully after him. A short man, who Richard recognised as the other actor from the previous day, passed him heading towards the forge.

“Who was that?” he asked, as he reached his friend.

“Just a customer, Paul. Are you after something?”

Christoph turned his attention to his friend who was grinning at him, eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Me? No! But it looks like you are! You can tell me about him while I decide which tools I need to borrow for the next play.”

Christoph rolled his eyes. His short friend was always borrowing his tools for constructing scenery for his shows, which he sometimes got Christoph to take part in. He wouldn’t admit it to Paul, but he actually quite enjoyed playing the occasional role, and it had helped make him more approachable to the townsfolk. He knew his physique and trade made him seem quite intimidating, but he was now made to feel welcome wherever he went in town.

***

Richard had slipped the silver coins into his pocket rather than in the coin purse, deciding to heed the blacksmith’s…Christoph’s…he thought to himself, advice. He could handle himself in a fight, but he’d not come out with any weapons, so a low profile was probably a good idea.

He hummed to himself as he pottered down the cobbled streets, making sure to take note of the route he took so that he could find his way back to the forge later on. It had been a pleasant surprise to find out that the blacksmith was the same man that had caught his eye the day before. Wait until Till heard about it!

Until Christoph had mentioned food and drink, Richard hadn’t realised that he was hungry. He should probably have asked the blacksmith if he had anything he could feed the horse, but there was grass there if nothing else. He’d look for something in the market just in case.

It didn’t take long for him to find the market, and found a tavern on an adjacent street. He decided that he ought to eat first, then he could spend his remaining time wandering the market until it was time to return. He headed inside the tavern, bought a tankard of mead and ordered some food, then went to sit outside at one of the tables set out for customers.

He sipped his drink slowly, not wanting to get drunk before his meal arrived, or to render himself incapable of riding back home. He wondered absently if Christoph had a wife or girlfriend, or if perhaps that short man he saw with him on two occasions now was his boyfriend. He found that that thought irked him, and realised he was jealous, not that it would make a difference. No-one was allowed to touch him other than the king and his personal assistant, and of course there was the queen’s new decree, so he might as well squash any thoughts of romance with the handsome, tall man.

He was brought out of his reverie by the barkeep bringing out a platter with wild boar, potatoes and some dubious looking vegetables covered in a thick gravy. It smelled delicious though, so he tucked right in, thoughts wandering as he tried to come up with a plan of action should it look like he might be arrested by the Queen’s Guard.

Wiping his mouth on his sleeve when he was done he got up from his table and headed for the market. He probably had an hour to kill before he had to return to the blacksmith’s forge to collect the horse, judging by the sun’s position in the sky. 

His path meandered from one stall to another as he headed over to look at things that caught his eye. The third one he came to had a variety of sweet cakes, and Richard struggled to decide which ones to buy for Till, so he ended up asking the woman for her advice. Paying her for the selection she suggested and pocketing his change, he bade her a friendly farewell and moved on.

Another stall had fresh bread and fruits, so he bought a couple of apples for the horse, and a small loaf for himself in case he got peckish on the ride home. Realising that he’d left his saddle bags on the horse he found he needed something to carry his purchases in. His problem was solved when he found a tanner’s stall, selling a variety of leather goods. His only potential problem now was that he was down to the last bits of small change he had.

Now that he knew that a gold coin was equal to five silver coins locally, he was able to buy a bag with a shoulder strap to put his purchases in, and a black leather waistcoat, which together came to five silver coins. He was able to hand over a gold coin as payment, the vendor mimicking Christoph by biting on the coin to check it was real, somewhat suspicious that someone so young having that kind of money on them, deciding he must be a nobleman’s son passing through.

Richard started wandering down the other half of the market, headed back towards the road that had brought him out onto the town square, retracing his steps back to the forge. He passed a small group of teenage girls sitting making daisy chains, who giggled and blushed when he smiled and said hello to them as he went by.

As he approached the forge, he found that his heart had turned into butterflies fluttering in his chest. He hadn’t felt this nervous when he’d helped the soldiers with Firefly three years previously. Mentally telling himself off for behaving like a child, and to act like the trained warrior he was, he strode up the gentle incline to the forge.

He was pleased to see the horse had its head in a bucket of oats, munching away contentedly. Lifting the hoof up that had needed attention, he appraised Christoph’s work. It was actually better quality metal and work than the blacksmith back at the castle. He smiled and patted the horse’s neck as he released the leg.

“Does that meet your approval?”

He hadn’t heard Christoph approach and jumped slightly, making the blacksmith chuckle.

“Aren’t you supposed to be aware of people approaching from any angle, given that you’re a warrior?”

“Funnily enough, you don’t get many people trying to creep up on you, you know…” he pointed skyward, again getting a laugh in response.

“I suppose not. You haven’t answered my first question…”

“Oh, er… yes. You’ve done a great job, I’ll definitely be back tomorrow to get the second one done.”

“I gave you your change, remember? You don’t need to make a special trip back, now, especially as it appears you’ve had a successful trip to the market!”

“I want to come back!” Richard blurted out, hastily following it up with, “I’m sure the other shoes are just as worn as the one that came off, and the smith back home has a long waiting list, with priority given to the cavalry.”

“Don’t you get special treatment?”

“As my horse is for personal use, I have to wait until all the working horses get seen to, so as you can imagine, it can take months for them to get round to me. So, knowing there’s a blacksmith within a fairly short distance from the castle who does a brilliant job, makes it worth the time and money.”

Plus it means I get to see you again.

“Well, as long as you’re happy to make the trip, I’ll be ready to make another shoe for ‘the horse’. When should I expect you?”

“I’ll return in the morning, better to get it sorted as soon as possible. What do I owe you for the feed?”

“Nothing, it’s on the house. I better let you get going, the sun will be setting soon.”

Richard looked up at the sky, realising that it was later than he thought. He thanked Christoph again as he untied and mounted the horse, having stowed his purchases in the saddlebags. He gave his goodbyes and nudged the horse on into a walk, twisting in his saddle as they turned onto the road so he could give a farewell wave, which Christoph returned.

Once they’d finished threading their way back through the town, Richard picked up their pace, getting the horse to trot until they reached the main road that would take them back through his old village and on towards the castle. Finding the rock that the horse had stumbled on earlier that day, Richard managed to pry it out of the mud and threw it aside into the underbrush lining the road.

Remounting, he gave the horse its head once more, letting it canter or gallop as it chose, so that they wouldn’t be trying to navigate the steep mountain road in the dark.

Back at the forge Paul had been watching the interchange between Christoph and his customer from the shadows, noting with interest when the young man had pointed up at the sky. When Christoph walked back inside, Paul was on him in an instant.

“So, your new boyfriend is a Dragon Warrior, huh? What’s he called? You didn’t tell me anything earlier when I asked!”

Christoph clamped his hand over Paul’s mouth.

“Don’t tell anyone who he is! It could get him and us in a lot of trouble if the wrong people find out we know what he does!” he hissed, startling Paul with his vehemence.

The shorter man put his hands up in a gesture of surrender, as Christoph released him.

“I’m sorry! You know I’ll not tell anyone, but if he will go about pointing up at the sky like that people are going to find out sooner or later. Anyway, you’re obviously smitten, although he looks a bit young for you. How old is he?”

“Okay, just to shut you up, his name is Richard, he only pointed up because I’d already worked out what he does for a living and because he believed we were alone, and I have no idea how old he is, I didn’t ask and he didn’t say.”

“Well, now he’s coming back tomorrow you can ask him!”

“He won’t be back. He was just saying those things to be polite. Come on, show me what you’ve been up to. Have you brought back all my tools?”

“I always bring back your tools…”

The two friends continued bickering as they disappeared further inside the forge.


	5. Chapter 5

Twilight was almost over by the time Richard rode over the drawbridge and into the castle’s main courtyard. He dismounted and led the horse back to the stables where he handed him over to a stable boy once he’d retrieved his purchases. He took one of the apples and gave it to the horse, noticing as he did so that the stableboy was looking at it hungrily. 

Richard took out the other apple and handed it to the boy, tearing off a chunk of bread for him as well.

“Thank you sir!”

“Call me Richard.”

“Thank you, Sir Richard!”

The young warrior laughed.

“It’s just Richard, you don’t have to call me ‘sir’ it makes me sound like one of those stuck up commanders!”

The stableboy grinned, agreeing with Richard’s description of the commanders, and promised to take ‘the best care’ of Richard’s horse. Richard smiled back at him and left for the barracks in search of Till, dropping his purchases on his bunk before continuing.

It came as no surprise to find his friend in the mess hall, tucking in to a plate heaped high with meat and potatoes. Richard decided he better have something to eat too, one of the things that Till had instilled in him during training was to eat whenever you had the opportunity as you never knew for certain when your next meal might come. Okay, it was more pertinent to when they might be called to war, but he took his lessons seriously as they could save his life one day. He filled his plate and carried his meal over to the table Till was seated at and settled down opposite him.

“Hey, Till! Had a good day?”

Till grunted and spoke around his current mouthful.

“Oh yeah, it was lots of fun running drills with a bunch of new recruits. I’m thinking of just skipping the middle part and just skip to the end and feed them to the dragons. Same end result without the hassle…”

“Don’t be too hard on them, I was a new recruit not that long ago, and look at me now! How many times have I got the better of you during sword practice?”

“Not as many as you should have. You need to put in a few hours yourself, come to think of it.”

“Fine, after my day off tomorrow you can put me through my paces.”

“Speaking of days off, you’ll have to tell me about today once we’re back in the room.”

Richard smiled knowingly at that, wolfing his food down as quickly as possible, making Till regard him suspiciously.

***

“Okay, out with it. What’s got you looking like the cat who ate the canary?”

“Well…to begin with, my parents’ stone hut is still intact and unoccupied, so I’m thinking we can use it as part of whatever plan we can think up… then I decided to look for a market, but the horse stumbled on a rock and lost a shoe, so then I had to try and find a blacksmith, luckily there was one in the nearest town I went to, and they had their market day too so I managed to pick up some sweet cakes for you, and oh, the blacksmith turned out to be that guy in the dress from yesterday…”

Richard finally stopped to catch his breath, and looked at Till expectantly. His friend took a moment to go over everything he’d just been told, then nodded.

“Let’s have them then…”

Richard’s expression was crestfallen. He’d hoped that Till would have been more interested in the news about the blacksmith. Pouting, he took the sweet cakes from the bag that he’d left on his bunk, handing them to his friend.

“I’m pulling your leg, Reesh! What happened with the blacksmith?”

“Well, his name is Christoph and he did a great job with making a replacement shoe for the horse, so I’m going back tomorrow to get a second one done. Oh, and he worked out that I’m a Dragon Warrior but has promised to keep that a secret. He also gave me change so that I wouldn’t be drawing attention by using our gold coins to pay for things.”

“He worked it out, or did you let it slip to impress him? Either way, it’s dangerous for both him and you that he knows.”

“I know, but I trust him. I’m sure you would too if you met him. And I didn’t tell him, he figured it out. I said I recognised him from the play, he said he couldn’t recall seeing me in the audience…I said I was watching from the hill…”

“…and we were the only ones on the hill. You numpty! All it takes is a pretty face to get you to spill your secrets, eh?”

Richard’s face reddened.

“You know that’s not true! There’s many things that I’ve kept secret, and you know it!”

“Calm down! All I’m saying is that you need to be careful, that’s all! Now, if you’re going back tomorrow, perhaps I should join you, and you can show me your old home. I can check out its location and what might need doing to make it more secure in case you have to use it as a bolt hole.”

“I’m happy to show you the hut, but I’d prefer to go on to see Christoph on my own.”

“Hmmm…okay. I’m not too keen on that idea, but you’re an adult now, so I guess I can’t stop you. What time are you thinking of leaving?”

“I was hoping to leave at daybreak, so I can spend more time exploring the town, or working on the hut.”

“Make sure you wake me if I’m not already up!”

***

They were on their way a little later than Richard would have liked, but Till moved at his own pace. They discussed possible plans of action as they rode along the mud roads towards Richard’s home village, going silent whenever they saw anyone nearby. Eventually they reached the road that passed by Richard’s old home. The younger man pointed out the markings on the trees that showed the way to the stone hut. Unless you knew they were there and what to look for you could walk right past and never realise there was a dwelling in the midst of the trees.

Checking that no-one else was in sight along the road, Richard led Till through the trees along the narrow trail to the hut. Dismounting once they reached the clearing, the secured both horses and approached the building.

“This is the only key I have for here, I’m going to have to find a place to hide it so that if either of us need to make a getaway we can both use it. I can’t risk leaving it in our room at the castle anymore in case I get arrested.”

Richard unlocked the door and showed Till around the simple hut, then took him outside to view the workshop and told him his thoughts about repurposing it into a stable. Till took it all in and then took another look around the property and its surroundings. Spotting a tree with a hole partially hidden by some decaying bark he wandered over and stuck his hand inside. 

The hole was a few inches deep, and felt pretty solid at the base. He asked Richard to bring the key over. First they checked that Richard could reach down to the bottom of the hole, then whether they could put the key inside without it sticking up above the bottom lip of the entrance. They agreed this would be a good place to leave the key, and looked for something they could use to mark the tree in the same manner as the way-marker trees at the roadside.

Once that had been sorted Richard said he should get a move on to the town so he could get the second horseshoe sorted. Till decided that he should spend some time at the hut working out exactly what needed to be done to make it into the ideal sanctuary and to make a start on thinning out the underbrush in the clearing.

With no means of contacting each other to let them know when they were done with their particular plans for the day, the friends agreed that they would meet up again at the evening meal in the mess hall if they hadn’t seen each other prior to that. Before Till let his young friend leave he cautioned him about letting his guard down around the blacksmith, although he may seem amiable and trustworthy they couldn’t afford to be complacent- the Queen might have spies planted all around, they didn’t know who they could trust. Richard nodded, knowing Till was right, but wanting him to be wrong all the same.

***

“You’re back!” Christoph said in surprise.

“I told you I would be, why would you think otherwise?”

“Because usually when handsome young men show up in my life they don’t tend to stick around!”

“You think I’m handsome?” Richard asked, head cocked slightly to one side, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“I’m pretty sure if you’ve ever seen your own reflection that you know that you are! I bet you have all the young ladies swooning over you up at the castle…”

“Can’t say that I’ve paid much attention to them, to be honest. I’ve been too busy doing other things.”

Christoph filed that bit of information away. A young man as good-looking as Richard not taking notice of the women around him was quite possibly a homosexual like himself, but no doubt would have to be very careful nowadays considering the decree that was announced just two days previously.

“Which hoof would you like me to re-shoe today?”

Richard pointed to the other foreleg, so that the front hooves would be matching.

“That one, unless you think that one of the hind legs needs sorting more urgently?”

The blacksmith lifted the foreleg first, inspecting its condition, then moved on to do the same with both hind legs.

“Hmm, to be honest with you, they’re each as bad as each other. I’ll sort out the foreleg for you, but you should get someone to do the other two as soon as you can.”

“I’ve only got enough time to get one hoof done today, and it could be weeks if not months before the blacksmith at the castle gets round to my horse. After today I’m not going to be able to return until next week, if I manage to get out at all.”

“If it would make things easier for you, I could ride my horse up to the castle a couple of days from now and lead your horse here, fetching him back to you when I’m done. If you’re not able to pay for it all straight away, I can wait until you are.”

“Oh, paying you won’t be an issue, I’ve saved up most of my earnings as I rarely leave the castle on my days off. This week has been an exception due to unexpected circumstances…are you sure it won’t be too much trouble for you to come up?”

“Not at all! Truth be told, I’ve lived in this town a few years now, and have yet to visit the castle. Now I have a legitimate reason to make the journey.”

“That’s great! I’ll tell the gatekeepers to expect you so you’ll be allowed in. I better let you get on, and I’ll grab some lunch while I wait. See you later.”

Richard flashed a big smile Christoph’s way as he headed towards the town centre, following the same route he took the day before. He could already smell the delicious meats that the inn he’d patronised the previous afternoon was serving up to its customers, making his mouth water in anticipation. The market stalls were missing from the town square on this occasion, and as a result there were fewer people milling about.

As the sky looked overcast Richard chose to eat his meal inside the inn, taking a seat at the rear of the room and facing the doorway as he’d been taught to do when staying inside somewhere unfamiliar. He took his time to enjoy the meal he ordered, chewing thoughtfully as he gazed towards the entrance. A couple of people whom he had bought things from the day before greeted him in a friendly manner as they headed to the bar, which Richard was happy to reciprocate.

Noticing that the sky was darkening Richard finished his meal, returned his plate and tankard to the bar, and bid the innkeeper farewell, thanking him for the food. He looked up once he was in the open air, the clouds were definitely darkening and drawing closer to the town, so he hurried back to the forge hoping to beat the rain there.

Christoph was just finishing hammering in the final nail to secure the new horseshoe in place as he approached. The blacksmith let go of the leg and straightened up, stretching his back to try to combat the stiffness In his muscles. Seeing his young client approach he smiled.

“Your timing is excellent, I’ve just this moment done! Here, let me show you…”

He lifted the horse’s leg again so that Richard could inspect his work.

“I hope that gets your approval like the one I did yesterday?”

“Yes, it does. Is the charge the same as yesterday, or was that an introductory offer?”

“Two silver pieces. I don’t change my prices once I’ve quoted them. That’s bad for business.”

Richard pulled out a gold coin and dropped it into Christoph’s outstretched hand. The blacksmith pocketed the coin and fished out the correct amount of change, which Richard tried to refuse taking, making Christoph grab the younger man’s hand in order to give him the money. Richard snatched his hand back at the physical contact, recoiling from the blacksmith.

“You mustn’t touch me! It’s forbidden! Only the Ki…..”

He stopped short, seeing the stunned expression on Christoph’s face.

“I’m sorry… I forgot that you probably don’t know a lot of the rules at the castle…”

“No, I’m sorry. I ought to know that commoners shouldn’t presume to touch their betters…”

As the first few drops of rain started to hit the ground, Richard closed the gap between them again, dismayed by Christoph’s response.

“That’s not it at all, and I’m definitely not what you’d refer to as ‘your betters’. I can explain…if you’ll let me?”

The blacksmith looked up at the gathering clouds, the rain starting to hit harder.

“Looks like we’re in for a long shower. Go inside my cottage - you’ll see it behind the forge - while I take the horse to the stables to keep it and your saddle dry while the rain passes. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

***


	6. Chapter 6

Richard looked around the smith’s cottage taking in every little detail. The ceiling was higher than in his parents’ old hut, not surprising considering that Christoph was around a foot taller than Richard. There was also an upper floor reached via an internal wooden staircase, something that Richard had only seen in the castle or in the inns he’d visited. He wondered idly whether his father had ever made any stairs while he was alive.

There was a doorway on the lower floor which opened into the forge - the cottage was kept warm in winter by being next to the forge building. A stone sink was along one wall with a wooden work surface next to it, presumably for preparing meals. 

On the wall backing onto the forge there was an average sized fireplace, with an iron hook and a small cauldron set to one side ready for cooking hot meals. In the centre of the room was a table and chairs, with plates and cups stacked neatly as though Christoph had been in the middle of either laying them out or putting them away when he was disturbed.

He couldn’t see a bed on the lower floor, so he assumed it must be on the upper level. He was just contemplating taking a peek upstairs when Christoph returned.

“Would you like something to eat while you wait?”

“Um, no… thank you… I had plenty at the inn to last me a while.”

“A drink then?”

“Yes, but just a small one, please…”

Christoph poured some light ale into two tankards, handing one to Richard, gesturing for the young man to take a seat. Richard shifted nervously on his chair as he thought how best to explain his reaction without giving too much information away.

“About just now…” he began.

“It’s fine. You don’t have to tell me anything, in fact, it’s probably best that you don’t, you’ve already let slip one secret too many.” Christoph replied, coolly.

“I want to, though, and it’s not an official secret anyway, at least Till has told me that it isn’t. It’s a bit complicated. I know we’ve only known each other for a couple of days but I believe I can trust you - when I went into town nobody reacted differently to me today, so I’m fairly certain you’ve not told anyone what I do…”

“I haven’t, but I’ve not ventured out of here since your visit yesterday either, so…”

“Look, up until a few weeks ago, everyone at the barracks, including my friend Till, thought that I had a strange behaviour - not letting anyone see, let alone touch, any part of my skin aside from my head, hands, and feet. They believed it was probably because I was still basically a kid, and that I felt awkward about being naked around all those men. I would always bathe at different times to the rest of them, I’d go to bed with full-length underclothes on, getting dressed and undressed beneath the covers if Till was in the room. That all changed a few weeks ago following my coming of age.

I had been doing some training with Till when I fell on my butt, and he pulled me to my feet. He’d gripped one of my wrists tightly which made me yelp…you see, both my wrists had fresh bruising round them. They weren’t the only places I was bruised, which is why I kept myself covered up all the time. Naturally, Till demanded to know how I got them as he knew it wasn’t from our sparring or from the dragons….”

He paused, taking a few sips of the ale while he summoned the courage to tell Christoph the rest of his story. The blacksmith waited patiently, sensing that he was about to be told something that weighed heavy on the young man’s mind. Richard cleared his throat, taking a deep breath before continuing.

“The thing is, shortly after I arrived at the castle, one of the King’s Guard approached me to tell me that the King’s personal assistant had summoned me. I was taken to the antechamber of the King’s quarters where the assistant, a man called Jacob, informed me that the King had heard about how I’d helped calm Firefly and wanted to meet me. I was ushered into the King’s bedchamber where I was given some wine to help calm my nerves…”

He paused again, taking another sip of ale. Christoph was starting to get an idea of what might be coming next, getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“…When King Zoran came in he was friendly, asking a few questions about where I came from, my family, things like that before talking about Firefly and the opportunity I’d been given to become a Dragon Warrior. He told me that for me to be able to continue my training I would have to perform a ritual act of obedience numerous times until it was perfect before I can advance. He said it was to show my absolute loyalty to him as King and Supreme Commander of the army.

He sat on the end of his bed and unfastened his leggings, pushing down his undergarments while his assistant fastened iron cuffs to my wrists behind my back. He pushed me down into a kneeling position in front of the King, so I was directly in front of his… his…you know....”

He paused for another few sips, not looking at Christoph now, hanging his head lower as he felt the shame welling up inside him.

“The King made me do things to it, things that I’d never done before, that felt wrong…when I asked if there was something else I could do to prove my loyalty Jacob struck me, saying that if I refused to do the King’s bidding that I would be thrown out of the castle and never see Firefly again. So I did the thing they told me to do, and afterwards, they said that another test of my loyalty was for me to never mention or discuss it with anyone else. They also said that my body had to remain untouched by anyone else’s bare hands, and I should keep any evidence of the ‘ritual’ covered up as part of the test of my loyalty. 

Over the course of the last three years I was summoned on a regular basis to perform the ritual, which changed to include other things as I got better at performing the first thing and as my training progressed. I managed to keep all of this a secret until the moment Till caught hold of my bruised wrist. When we were back in our room in the barracks he pulled the cuffs of my sleeves back and saw the bruising, then he made me tell him how and when I’d got them.

It was after I said that it was from the loyalty ritual that he told me that no such thing existed, and that warriors were only required to swear an oath of allegiance once they finished training. He told me that the only reason why the king and Jacob told me to keep it secret was because they didn’t want the Queen to find out, and that what they’d made me do was wrong.

So you see, it’s not that I don’t want you to touch me or that I think I’m your ‘better’ as you put it, but that only the King and his assistant are allowed to touch me, which is why I pulled my hand back.”

Christoph was silent for some time, prompting Richard to lift his head to look at him, eyes glistening from the unshed tears that had formed unbidden as he recounted his story, even though he’d only revealed the least unsavoury part.

“I’m sorry to hear that you were made to go through that ordeal, and your friend was almost certainly right about them only wanting to keep their actions secret. But if King Zoran is dead now, why do you continue to avoid physical contact? Surely it would be okay for other people to touch you now?”

“That’s exactly what Till says! I’m sure the two of you would get on well together if you ever met up. I guess I’m finding it difficult to drop the habit because I don’t believe that the King is dead, even though I’ve not been summoned by him for a few weeks now. That decree said he was killed by his lover, and as that would be me, technically, I didn’t do it, so he may still be alive and if he comes back and finds that someone has touched me, then I would be in a lot of trouble. Till says that the King probably lost interest in me when I turned eighteen and became an adult, because adults have more rights than children and because I have become stronger than I was as ja kid and could possibly fight them off. He says the king probably has taken on a new lover who might have killed him, and that’s why they’ve not come for me already.”

“From the sounds of things, I think you’re right about me getting on with…Till? It seems that he and I think along the same lines. If the king is dead, then you’re not beholden to continue the charade of covering up, or avoiding contact, although I wouldn’t tell too many people if I were you, especially as the Queen is on the warpath. If the king isn’t dead, then where is he? Wherever he might be, it’s unlikely that he can either find out about anyone touching you, let alone do anything about it.”

“I know, but it’s hard for me to just stop doing things straight away, although now that Till knows the truth I am able to bathe or change clothing without worrying about covering myself up, but I still only go to the baths when anyone other than Till isn’t there.”

“If the King said you can’t be touched with another person’s bare hands, does that mean that if someone touched you with gloves on that would be okay? Or touching you with some part other than their hands wouldn’t break the rule? And if he said ‘body’ specifically, does that mean that it’s okay to touch your head with bare hands or anything else?”

“I’m not sure. I suppose that any of those things wouldn’t technically break the rule as they told it to me. Why?”

“If you’ll allow me to show you…?”

Puzzled, Richard nodded his assent.

Christoph, who had been seated opposite him, got up from his chair and rounded the table to stand next to Richard. He leaned forward using one hand on the table for support while he used the other to tilt Richard’s head up towards him, closing the gap between their two heads to plant a gentle kiss on Richard’s lips. He stepped back after a moment to gauge the young man’s reaction, whispering in his ear as he did so.

“That’s why…”

Richard’s eyes remained closed for a few seconds following the kiss while he absorbed what had just happened. Christoph, meanwhile, had taken another step back to allow the young man room to leave if he wanted. He didn’t want to make him feel penned in. Richard opened his eyes and stared up at him, licking his bottom lip as he did so. He stood up slowly and he too closed the gap between the two of them. He hesitated a moment before rising up on the balls of his feet and giving Christoph a kiss in return.

The blacksmith circled one of his arms around Richard’s waist, pulling him closer to him, crushing their lips together. Richard responded by sliding one of his arms behind Christoph’s back, and the other up to the blacksmith’s neck to get him to lower his head a bit more. He moaned softly as Christoph moved to kiss the curve of his neck where it met his shoulder, his warm breath tickling his bare skin.

He lost all sense of time as they continued kissing and touching each other, albeit with the physical barrier of clothing maintaining the illusion of following the rule. He felt something stirring inside him, a feeling he’d never had before and would have found it difficult to describe if he’d been asked to.

Christoph broke off the kiss and loosened his hold on the young Dragon Warrior, having felt himself starting to harden. After what Richard had told him, he could only guess as to what else the king might have subjected him to, and he didn’t want to scare him off by moving too quickly. There was potentially too much at stake.

“I hope I haven’t overstepped my bounds…” he said, once he could trust his voice to come out normally.

“No… that was…that was nice…”

Christoph smiled. 

“Well, I thought it only fair that you know one of my secrets. I’m trusting you with my freedom.”

He looked out of the window.

“It looks like the rain has stopped. You should be able to return to the castle before dark. I’ll go and fetch your horse from the stables.”

Richard stared after the blacksmith as he opened the door and strode outside, turning to go further up the track that ran beside the forge and his cottage to the wooden barn which housed the stables. The young Dragon Warrior felt as though he’d been under some kind of enchantment, he had been attracted to the blacksmith from the moment he laid eyes on him in the town square just two days previously, but at the same time it seemed like forever ago.

He didn’t want to leave, but he also wanted to tell Till all about today. Well, he might leave out a few key details, but he could ask him what he thought about Christoph’s suggestions as to how he might bend the rule. Hearing hooves approaching he walked to the cottage door and outside. The air smelled fresh after the rain, and everything appeared brighter. He turned to watch Christoph leading the horse towards him, his mind replaying their kisses over and over again, that strange sensation stirring in his gut again.

Willing it away, he accepted the reins from Christoph and mounted the horse.

“So, when should I tell the gatekeepers to expect you to come for the horse?” Richard tried to be as casual as possible as he asked the question.

“I know that I said in a couple of days time when we spoke this morning, but a few things have come up since then. I’ll try to keep it as close to the two days that I said, but if things don’t run smoothly it might be closer to the weekend.”

“Oh. Okay. Um…I guess I’ll see you later then,” he tried to hide the disappointment he felt, clicking his tongue and squeezing his heels to make the horse start walking.

“Yes, see you soon.”

As Richard rode his horse down the track towards the town’s roads Paul appeared from the stables and moved to stand next to Christoph.

“Well? Did you tell him who you really are and why you’re here?”

The blacksmith turned to his shorter friend, ushering him inside the cottage, closing the door and window shutters before answering.

“Not yet, no. The timing isn’t right, and I need to be able to get to know him better before I can make the decision about trusting him with that information. We’ve been here for some time now, and this is the first break we’ve got. I don’t want to lose it by moving too quickly. We can wait a little longer. Now, tell me - is Flake back from Charlottenberg?”

“Yes, he returned around lunchtime. He’s passed on your messages to your parents, and the military are being readied to move out at a moment’s notice. Just say the word and they’ll be here as backup before you know it.”

“Good. I’m hoping that the soldiers we already have embedded in the surrounding towns and villages will be sufficient, but it’s better to be prepared for every eventuality. Ask Flake to come and see me in the morning after he’s had time to recover from the journey, please.”


	7. Chapter 7

“…and there have been rumours in the palace court that reports of King Zoran’s death may be false, although we have yet to obtain either proof or an eyewitness who has seen him alive in the last few weeks. Our King has sent out messengers to all the other kingdoms in our union to ask whether they have any information about the situation.

The King is waiting to hear from you as to whether or not to mobilise the army, and trusts your decision either way. If any of the other kingdoms have any useful intelligence they’ll send a runner here directly as well as to the Palace.”

“Thank you, Flake. I hope to do some reconnaissance up at the castle within the week and may need you to return to Charlottenberg once I’ve completed that, so rest up, okay?”

“The Queen also sends a message - she hopes you’re getting plenty to eat and not wasting away out here in the provinces, and hopes you’ll go home and visit soon. She misses you and sends her love.”

Flake, the messenger employed to be the go between for Christoph and the royal court, looked distinctly uncomfortable delivering that part of the message, much to Christoph’s amusement.

“Please tell my mother when you return that I miss her too, and hope to be back at court before long. Oh, and pass this on too…”

Christoph planted a loud wet kiss on the messenger’s cheek making the tall man cringe and seemingly try to fold his slender frame into as small a size as possible. Paul laughed at the interaction between the two.

“Now, we need to think about how best to use my forthcoming visit to the castle…”

***

“What’s up with you?”

“Nothing…I just thought he’d be here by now. I guess he’s not coming.”

Till didn’t need a crystal ball to know who Richard was talking about. When his young friend returned from the town three days earlier he’d been in very high spirits, now he was gloomy and moped around the castle when he wasn’t training.

“You told me that after you’d had lunch that he said it might be longer than the two days he originally stated, and today only marks the third day, so stop looking like you’ve been put on night sentry duty in midwinter! If he’s as great as you seem to think he is he’ll keep his promise. Come on, let’s take the dragons out for a while, you know you always feel better when you’re flying.”

***

Five days after Richard had visited the town, he and Till were practicing sword fighting in the barracks courtyard. Following his conversation with Christoph about the king’s unofficial rule, Richard had spoken to Till about it, leaving out the part where Christoph had kissed him and how he’d kissed him back. Till had grunted before giving his response.

“I’ve been saying that for weeks now, but you wouldn’t listen. But because loverboy has said it you now think there’s something to it? Typical! Trust the tall handsome stranger over your best friend who also happens to know more about what goes on here, why don’t you!”

“I did listen! I just found it difficult to change my habits straight away. You know I’ve changed some when I’m just around you, that’s a start! But perhaps I’m finally ready to accept that the king probably is dead and I can start to live how I want and be with who I want.”

“This Christoph must be quite something to make you change your tune so quickly! I think that when he visits I should like to meet him.”

Now, five days later, the two were sparring with blunted swords, and instead of wearing a full shirt under his leather jerkin, Richard had dispensed with his shirt leaving his arms and upper chest exposed. He’d discovered that he had greater freedom of movement without the extra layer of clothing and was doing better with dodging Till’s blows as a result.

***

“Who are you, and what is your business at the castle?”

The sentry at the gatehouse had stepped forward with his comrade on the opposite side of the raised portcullis to block the way with their spears.

“My name is Christoph, I’m the blacksmith from Schwerin. I’m here to collect a horse from Richard for reshoeing. This is my assistant Paul who will be riding the horse back to Schwerin.”

It had been decided that in order to get a good look at the castle grounds and the guard placement within that it would be better with two sets of eyes. As Paul was shorter than the average soldier they thought he would draw less suspicion, not to mention the fact that he wouldn’t be too much of an extra weight for Christoph’s horse to carry. Taking an extra person to ride Richard’s horse back into town seemed the most logical explanation for two people turning up when Richard had probably told the sentries to expect one person.

“We’ve been expecting you for a few days now, but we weren’t told there’d be two of you. Wait here.”

The sentry who had spoken walked through to the inner side of the gatehouse and spoke with another guard on duty there. The man looked past the sentry’s shoulder, nodded, then walked away. The sentry returned to his original position to wait while they received further instructions.

“This isn’t going to work…” Paul said as quietly as possible, from his position seated on the horse’s rump, behind Christoph’s saddle.

“It will…keep quiet and try not to look suspicious.” Christoph whispered back, over his shoulder.

After several minutes had elapsed the third guard returned and whispered something in the sentry’s ear.

“You can go in. Through the gatehouse and the inner gate to the main courtyard, then turn towards the side courtyard in front of the barracks. He’s waiting for you there. The stables are beyond the barracks. Richard will show you the rest of the way.”

“Thank you.”

Christoph nudged his horse forward between the sentries who had returned to their original positions, following the directions they’d been given. The two of them glanced up at the walls and towers placed around the perimeter of the castle, making mental notes of the numbers and the placements, trying to appear like casual observers on their first visit to a castle.

Following the sound of clashing metal they passed under an archway and into the inner courtyard where several soldiers including Richard and Till were doing their training. Christoph was pleasantly surprised to see Richard baring so much skin, especially as he could now see just how muscular the young man was. Richard had his back to them and made a feint before reversing his strike to attack Till from a different direction. Till anticipated the move and parried easily, following with a quick attack of his own which Richard blocked with his own sword.

Hearing hoofbeats he stepped back, lowering his sword arm, turning to face the newcomers. Till took advantage of the distraction and made a lunge for the young man’s back while his defences were lowered. Christoph thought to shout out a warning but at the last moment Richard turned, ducked and dodged the blow by rolling forward under the sword, coming up inside Till’s reach with a dagger he’d pulled from his boot as he rolled, pressing the blunt tip to Till’s chest just below the heart.

“You’re dead!” He grinned in triumph, as he stood back again.  
“I’d like to see you try that again but with your leather armour on. Until you can do it fully geared up on a regular basis you aren’t ready for close combat. Now, are you going to introduce us?” Till asked, nodding towards Christoph who was dismounting now that Paul was on the ground trying to shake some life back into his legs after the long ride up from town.

The two warriors crossed over towards them, while the other sparring pairs continued hacking away at each other, only giving the new arrivals a cursory glance.

“Till, this is Christoph. I’m sorry, I don’t know your friend’s name…” 

“This is Paul, he’s my assistant and friend. He’ll be riding your horse back to Schwerin for me.”

“Hello Paul, I think we passed each other the first time I came to the forge, and aren’t you the other person that was on stage with Christoph.?”

“That’s right, yes. I actually wrote the play…I just get this big lump to act in them from time to time…”

The ‘big lump’ gave Paul a warning look, making the short man shut up quickly.

“Christoph and Paul, this is Till - he’s my commanding officer and best friend.”

“I’m your only friend…”

“That’s not true!”

“Dragons don’t count!”

“I’ll tell Firefly you said that!”

Christoph smiled at the way the two men bickered, apparently their friendship had a similar dynamic to his and Paul’s.

“Aren’t you forgetting that Christoph and Paul are here for a reason?”

“Um, yeah. Sorry.”

“That’s okay, we’re not in any particular hurry to get back to the jobs waiting for us, and this is the first time we’ve visited the castle. It’s nice to have a look around while we’re here.”

“There’s not that much to see, and most castles are pretty much like each other. If you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all.” Till replied.

“This is my first one!” Paul said, twisting his head round to take everything in, doing his best to look like an excited commoner. “Can we see the dragons? I’ve never seen one up close!”

“You should be glad you haven’t, you’d barely be a mouthful! Richard, perhaps you should take them to the stables to get your horse. Even if these two don’t have things to do, you certainly have!”

Richard made a face, but handed Till his practice sword and dagger all the same. 

“You only need one of us to go with you, Paul - you go with Richard, I’ll wait here for you.”

Richard was disappointed that it wasn’t Christoph joining him, but as Paul would be the one riding his horse it made sense. He just hoped that Till and Christoph would get on without them there.

“Come on, Paul, it’s this way.”

He shot Till a loaded look as he walked away, willing him to be nice. Till motioned to Christoph to bring the horse over to a patch of grass on the edge of the courtyard, away from any prying ears.

“So, you’re the Till I’ve been told so much about…” Christoph started once the other pair were out of earshot. “I’m glad Richard’s got a friend like you to watch out for him.”

“Just how much has he been saying?”

“Well, he didn’t tell me what you did here, once I’d guessed what Richard did it didn’t take a genius to work out that you were the one accompanying him when you visited the town. He did tell me that you’ve been looking after him since he came to the castle, from that time you rescued him from being bullied in the barracks… and that you’ve told him that he shouldn’t worry about sticking to the king’s rule now that he’s dead. I’m glad to see he’s started taking that advice on board.”

“Actually I think that’s more down to you rather than me. You seem to have had a big impact on him. How much did he tell you about that rule, anyway?”

“He told me enough. I can tell he held a lot back, but I’m not going to force him to tell me, that’s up to him. If you’re worried about word getting round about who you and Richard are, don’t be. We haven’t told anyone, and as Richard knows about my ‘preferences’ he has leverage over me, and now you do too, but from what Richard’s told me about you I believe I can trust in your discretion. One thing I am wondering - did the king stop sending for Richard before or after you found out about their…arrangement?”

“If you’re thinking I had a hand in the king’s death or disappearance, whichever you believe in, I’m sorry to disappoint. The king hadn’t been seen for weeks by any of us in the army before I found out what he had been doing to Richard. I only wish I had killed the fat bastard…at least then Richard would know he was definitely safe. While ever he believes there’s a chance the king is still alive, he’ll always be looking over his shoulder. I’d love to find out the truth so I can tell him and he can move on with his life. And if he proves to still be alive…”

Till left the sentence hanging, but the unspoken words were loud and clear to Christoph.

“You’re a good friend. I want you to know that I’ll do everything I can to keep him out of trouble when he’s away from the castle. I…care about him.”

“He can handle himself in a fight, but I’m guessing you mean other types of trouble. He told me you advised him against flashing his money around, so thank you for that.”

“My pleasure, and you’re right from what I’ve seen here. He may be a grown man, but he seems to possess an almost childish innocence or naïvety at times.”

“You’ve hit the nail right on the head. I’m glad we’ve had the chance to have this chat, I have a feeling we may be seeing each other again, and it’s good to know someone else has his back when I’m not around.”

The pair shook hands, smiling. They turned to see Richard returning, with Paul astride his horse, walking along just behind him.

“Do you want a drink before you leave?” Richard asked, hopefully.

“Unfortunately we do have a number of things to get done today, so we better be on our way, we probably shouldn’t hold you up any longer either. I will do the reshoeing tomorrow morning and you can either pick him up yourself in the afternoon, or we can return him the day after. If you haven’t arrived by mid afternoon I’ll assume you want me to do the latter. Nice meeting you, Till. Feel free to drop by anytime your horse needs new shoes or if you want anything making.”

While Christoph would have liked to have kissed, or at the very least hugged, Richard before leaving, he knew that would put both the young warrior and himself in grave danger. He had to content himself with a smile and a nod as he mounted his own horse.

“Ready?” He asked Paul.

Paul nodded, nudging the strawberry roan forward, and saying goodbye to the two Dragon Warriors as he passed them, taking the lead ahead of Christoph.

“I’ll see you soon, Richard.” Christoph said, as he moved to follow Paul back through the castle grounds and to the road leading down the mountain.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Once the riders had left Richard turned to Till.

“Well? What do you think?”

“He seems pleasant enough, I suppose, but you should still exercise caution with what you tell him. Ideally I’d like to chat with him some more, away from the castle, and perhaps ask around town about him.”

“Spy on him, you mean?”

“Not spying, no. Just casual conversations to see if he’s as nice with everyone else as he is with you. Get an all round view of him.”

“Sounds like spying to me.” Richard said, annoyed.

“I just don’t want you to have any nasty surprises, but if you really insist, I’ll leave well alone.”


	8. Chapter 8

“I still think you should let me put out some feelers, check out this Christoph’s background…”

“We’ve been over this before, Till. I appreciate that you’re trying to look after me, but I’ll not learn how to stand on my own two feet if I don’t do things for myself, and yes, even if that means making mistakes. I trust Christoph with my life, the same as I trust you with it.”

The two of them were riding on Till’s horse, Richard keeping his balance by holding on to Till’s waist as they made their way along the dirt road that led through Richard’s old village and on to the secret trail to his former home. After Christoph and Paul had left, the two warriors had a discussion about whether or not Richard should fetch his horse back from the blacksmith’s or wait for Christoph to fetch it back.

Richard had insisted that it would do him good to get out of the castle more often after being cooped up in there for three years solid aside from going on patrols on dragonback. Till had agreed, but suggested he do it by helping him to finish patching up the stone hut and clearing enough space for one or both dragons to set down in the event they have to flee.

“We need enough room so we can train Firefly to obey the new commands we decided on. It’ll take both of us far less time working together than if we take it in turns…”

After some debate, and several drinks, they came to an agreement. They would leave on horseback the following morning to go to the hut. After discussing exactly what needed to be done Richard would continue on to Schwerin on foot to pick up his horse, and return to meet up again with Till for the ride back to the castle.

They wound their way along the secret trail and into the clearing, Richard slipping from the large charger’s back once they had passed through the trees, and going to retrieve the door key from its hiding place while Till secured his horse.

“There isn’t much more that we can do to the hut itself, but let me show you what I think we can do to finish turning the workshop into stables…”

Till led the way behind the hut, pointing out how the door needed to be raised and widened so his horse could walk through comfortably, and how they could safely achieve it using timbers to take the weight of the stones during the reconstruction. They needed to increase the internal space to create two stalls, and would need to get more stones to help achieve that.

“… and judging by that cliff that is towering over us nearby, there’s a good chance that we might be able to source the rocks from the foot of the cliffs. While you’re off visiting your boyfriend I’ll beat a path through the underbrush and scout out the area between here and the mountainside.”

“He’s not my boyfriend…”

“We can argue semantics when you return. You better get going or it’ll be dusk before you start the ride back, I don’t fancy picking our way up the mountain pass in the dark, and I really don’t fancy the idea of staying in some hovel in the town at its base either.”

“You can be such a snob at times, Till. I used to sleep in those ‘hovels’, and that was if I was lucky enough to not be sleeping out under the stars.”

“Yeah yeah… I know… I just really enjoy the comfort of my bunk. Now get going!”

***

It was past lunchtime when Richard finally arrived at the forge, the journey taking much longer on foot than by horse. He had realised that he wasn’t as fit as he thought he was, as his legs and feet were aching from the exertion. He’d packed a small loaf and some cured meat in a small bag to keep him going, and had started out with a full waterskin too, which was now almost empty. He hoped that Christoph would let him draw some water from the well behind the cottage to refill it.

“There you are! I was beginning to think I need to plan for another trip to the castle tomorrow!”

“If Till had his way you would have done. He’s not keen on me being out by myself under the current circumstances, but as I have today and tomorrow off duty there was no way I was going to stick around the castle.”

“Well, I finished working on your horse late morning, he’s been munching on hay in the stables since then. This way…”

Richard hadn’t been in the blacksmith’s stables yet, and was interested to see how he made use of the relatively small space available, wanting to get some ideas for his own project. Christoph led the way inside and to a stall at the end. He’d removed the horse’s tack when he and Paul had arrived the previous day, replacing it with a simple halter and rope which was fastened to an iron ring in the stall.

Paul was mucking out one of the other stalls, its regular occupant tied up in the yard out front, and he gave Richard a friendly greeting as he passed with Christoph. The blacksmith lifted the roan’s hind legs in turn, showing Richard the results of his morning’s labour. Once again the young warrior was impressed with the smith’s work and had started fishing out the requisite payment when his stomach rumbled loudly.

“Sounds like you could use a good meal before setting off. I have some rabbit stew cooking over the fire if you’d like some?”

“I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble, but I’d like to refill my waterskin if that’s alright?”

“Nonsense! I always cook more than I need, Paul usually helps me eat it all, but there’s plenty enough for three.”

Richard relented and followed Christoph inside. The blacksmith offered him a chair at the table, and set down a bowl and spoon for him, adding two more of each for himself and Paul. He used a cloth to move the iron arm holding the cauldron over the fire so that he could serve the stew out, Paul passing him the bowls in turn having come in from washing his hands outside.

As they ate Richard asked Christoph about what other things he made in the forge, which turned out to include swords and daggers, shovels and other farming tools, among other useful items. Paul helped as his assistant, fetching the raw materials needed, or fanning the flames of the forge, but also taking care of their horses.

In return the pair asked Richard about Firefly and how he came to train with her. They quizzed him about the day to day aspects of his life at the castle, things that wouldn’t raise any suspicions but could give them a better idea of the numbers of people working there, where they might be at certain times of day, and so on.

They also asked him about how the staff were treated at the castle, Christoph being careful not to mention King Zoran, but wanting Richard’s opinion on whether the King and Queen were fair to their subjects in their various rulings and decrees in his time at the castle. Richard avoided mentioning the king in front of Paul as the short man didn’t know what he’d told Christoph, instead telling them that since the most recent decree by Queen Hilda a number of servants had been rounded up by members of the Queen’s Guard. Not all of those who’d been taken had returned, and some of those who had been released had bruising and other injuries.

He told them of his fear that they would come for him before long and that in all likelihood would be imprisoned, or worse, and that he and Till were in the process of working out ways to prevent that from happening, including an escape plan. Christoph responded by telling him that if they should need his and Paul’s help, they only had to ask.

While they finished off their meal, wiping their bowls clean using hunks of bread, they failed to notice that storm clouds had been gathering outside, and were almost on top of Schwerin when the first flash of lightning struck in the nearby mountains, followed by an almost deafening clap of thunder. Richard yelped and almost fell off his chair in either surprise or fright, the other two men unsure which one.

“That sounds very close. Paul, can you check the horses are secure and stow any tools that we wouldn’t want to get wet, please?”

“Yes, I’ll stay with the horses while it passes, grooming them should help keep them calm.”

The short man hurried out of the door and up the pathway towards the stables, getting soaked as the clouds released the rain they’d been holding onto. Christoph ducked out to close the door to the forge in order to keep dry the items he’d been working on between shoeing Richard’s horse. After a moment he reappeared in his cottage.

“It definitely looks like the rainy season has arrived. I don’t think this is going to be a short shower like last week. The clouds are black for miles around, I don’t think you should try riding back until the storm has passed, if your horse gets spooked you could have a much worse accident than the one that brought you to us.”

“Thank you, but I should probably try to get back to Till at my parents’ hut before the storm is on top of us, we could ride back together.”

An almighty rumble made the door and shutters shake, making Richard jump up in alarm.

“You risk death working with dragons everyday but you’re scared of thunder? You’re quite the complex person, aren’t you?” Christoph observed, amused.

“Don’t make fun of me! Storms are a massive danger to Dragon Warriors, especially when we’re armed with weapons. Several riders have died from being struck by lightning. Then there’s the time when I didn’t have a home and slept in barns and the like, I’ve seen a few of those go up in flames after being hit by a lightning bolt. I can never relax when there are thunderstorms, I have to stay alert so I don’t die!”

“Oh, I wasn’t making fun of you, I actually find it endearing that you’re afraid of storms. I have an idea how I can help you relax while we wait the storm out…”

Christoph stood up, secured the shutters and locked the door. He cleared the table, placing their dishes by the sink for cleaning later on. That done he crossed the floor back to where Richard was standing.

“I was happy to see that you’ve become more relaxed about baring your skin, especially when I got to see your muscles while you were sparring with Till. That was a very pleasant sight…” he came to a stop just in front of the younger man, “…I hope that you might be more comfortable doing other things too…”

Richard looked up at him, quizzically, just as Christoph lowered his head to kiss Richard on the mouth. It was barely a brush of their lips against each other, but it sent a thrill of excitement through his body. Christoph pulled back slightly, trying not to intimidate the younger man, but he needn’t have worried - that brief contact had ignited something in Richard that he’d only experienced once before, the previous time that Christoph had kissed him.

Richard stepped up to Christoph and put a hand up to guide the taller man’s head down to meet him halfway, eager to kiss him again, only this time for much longer. Christoph responded immediately, pulling Richard into his arms and holding him in place while they crushed their lips together. The blacksmith ran the tip of his tongue along Richard’s, the younger man parting them instinctively, allowing Christoph access to his mouth.

Christoph massaged Richard’s tongue with his own, which the young Dragon Warrior found was a strange but pleasant sensation. The older man shifted his arms to new positions, one providing support against Richard’s back, the other cupping his face as he started kissing and licking the young man’s throat. Richard started to feel more comfortable, beginning to move his own hands to explore Christoph’s body, running his fingers over the muscular arms and round his shoulders to Christoph’s back.

He moaned and shuddered when one of Christoph’s hands brushed against his shirt where it covered his nipples, feeling them harden at the contact. At the same time it felt that a bolt of lightning had been sparked by that touch, racing fire to his belly, stirring his cock to life. With the young man pressed so close to him Christoph noticed the reaction and rubbed his thumb over Richard’s chest again, getting the same response.

“I want to do something for you, if you’ll let me…” he began, his voice gruff as his own desire grew, “…you can stop me anytime, but I’m certain you’ll enjoy it…”

“Okay, what is it…?”

“You remember telling me about the fake ritual you used to do…?”

Richard nodded, not certain he liked where this was going.

“I want to do that for you, it will make you feel good…”

The younger man’s heart was racing, both scared and excited by the thought of getting that… intimate… with Christoph. He’d only ever been the King’s plaything, this would be something completely new.

“Okay… I’m putting my trust in you…”

Christoph smiled, and led Richard by the hand towards the stairs.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that I think most of you have been waiting for... enjoy! 😜

The upper floor of Christoph’s cottage only covered half the space of the lower floor and was comprised of a single bedroom, sparsely furnished. The main feature was a large bed made from solid wood, with a number of pillows and linen sheets, and woollen blankets on top. In one corner of the room there was a washbasin and jug set on a wooden stand with a looking glass placed above. A chest of drawers occupied a small space next to it, while a wooden trunk with a metal clasp stood on the adjacent wall.

Christoph guided Richard over to the bed, sitting him down on the end. He leaned forward and kissed him on the lips before kneeling down in front of him. Richard started as another nearby rumble of thunder rolled over the rooftops.

“Keep your attention on me Richard, try to block the storm out…”

Christoph reached out with both hands to unbuckle Richard’s belt.

“Take your jacket off, and pop it to one side, I want you to be as comfortable as possible.”

While Richard did as asked, Christoph removed the young man’s belt, laying it aside before beginning to unlace Richard’s leggings. He then switched his attention to removing Richard’s boots and socks, giving his feet a gentle rub between his hands to help relax the nervous young man seated in front of him.

“Can I remove your leggings?” he asked, wanting to reassure Richard that he had a choice in what happened.

“Yes…”

Richard lifted his hips so that Christoph could slip the leggings and undergarments over his buttocks and down his legs. The blacksmith could see that Richard was trembling from the nervousness that being so exposed gave rise to. Once he’d placed the clothing with the jacket and belt, Christoph kissed Richard gently, one hand cupping his cheek, the other hand placed on the bed for support.

Feeling Richard beginning to relax he gave him another kiss before pulling away.

“Are you comfortable enough for me to start? You might want to lie back a bit…”

“I’m okay, I’ll move if I need to…”

Schneider smiled reassuringly, then gently parted Richard’s knees so that he could kneel between the young man’s legs. He looked down to see that Richard’s cock was starting to harden from the anticipation alone, rising up from the Dragon Warrior’s clean-shaven groin.

“Well, somebody looks happy to see me!” he commented, looking at Richard to check he was still alright, his gaze met by wide eyes and rosy cheeks.

Satisfied that while Richard was nervous and apparently somewhat embarrassed, he was still happy for Christoph to continue. The blacksmith licked his lips while he gently took Richard in one hand, making the young man inhale sharply. Christoph began to rub his hand slowly up and down Richard’s cock, brushing the pad of his thumb along the slit at its head with every stroke.

“Does that feel good, baby?”

“Y…yeah…yes…” Richard managed to blurt out, finding it difficult to concentrate with this new sensation.

Schneider smiled knowingly, then bent his head down. He kissed the head of Richard’s cock, followed up by licking a stripe from root to tip, making Richard gasp. Not hearing anything that would suggest Richard wanted him to stop, Christoph held his cock in one hand at the base, holding it steady while he took first the head, then the rest of him into his mouth.

Richard was moaning now, his eyes half-lidded as he continued to watch what the blacksmith was doing to him. Christoph drew back slowly, his lips circling the engorged member and leaving a trail of saliva along its length. He switched to licking around the ridge, flicking it with the tip of his tongue, then licking the slit where precum was already starting to leak out.

“Mmmm… you taste so good… I want to swallow you whole…”

Richard shifted slightly, laying back on his elbows so he could still watch Christoph sucking on his cock, feeling the fire in his belly heating up again.  
The older man took him all the way into his mouth, Richard could feel the back of Christoph’s throat at his tip, the blacksmith’s tongue massaging his cock expertly.

“Ohhh….fuck…..” he breathed, a shudder going through him.

Christoph hummed around him, making Richard shudder again, then he started bobbing his head up and down, alternating between licking and sucking at the hardened shaft. The Dragon Warrior was breathing heavily now, his heart hammering in his chest, feeling light headed. He felt his balls tightening, which Christoph had also noticed, reaching out with his other hand to fondle them while he continued working at his cock.

“I…I think I’m going to…to…ohhhhh….”

The last word escaped his lips as a prolonged moan as he ejaculated into Christoph’s mouth, his head feeling like a cannonball had exploded inside his skull, his belly molten metal. Christoph swallowed around him while he rode out his orgasm, only releasing his cock from his mouth when he was certain that Richard was spent, licking him clean.

Richard had collapsed backwards onto the bed, his chest heaving while he tried to catch his breath. Christoph kissed the young man’s inner thighs then stood up, rounding one corner of the bed to stretch out next to him. He wrapped one arm around the young man’s waist while nuzzling at his neck.

“Are you okay, love?” he enquired, slightly concerned that Richard hadn’t spoken following his climax.

Richard turned his head to look at him, a sleepy expression on his face.

“I’m better than okay… that was…incredible! Do…do you want me to do that to you now?”

“I’d be lying if I said no, but that’s not why I did it. That was purely to help you relax and make you feel good. I’m glad it worked. You look like you need to sleep, I’ll watch over you to keep you safe from the storm…”

The blacksmith grabbed hold of one of the blankets and draped it over Richard once he’d got him to shuffle further back on to the bed so that his legs were no longer dangling over the end. When Richard was finally comfy Christoph laid back down next to him, with the blanket forming a barrier between them, kissing the young man softly on the lips before resting his head on the pillows.

***

Christoph fell asleep soon after Richard, the younger man’s rhythmic breathing lulling him into his own relaxed state. He awoke an hour later when Richard turned over to face him, reaching out a tentative hand to trace the older man’s jawline.

“Hi…”

“Hi…”

“How are you feeling?”

“Like my brain is floating on a calm lake…”

Christoph laughed quietly.

“You’re definitely relaxed!”

He took hold of Richard’s wandering hand in one of his, bringing it to his mouth to kiss the palm. Outside, the rain could be heard pounding the roof and shutters, the bedroom lighting up briefly with every flash of lightning.

“Looks like you’re going to be stuck here for a while longer. I need a drink, would you like to join me for some wine?”

“Not if it involves moving from here.”

Christoph laughed softly again.

“Okay, you stay there and I’ll go and fetch a bottle for us to share.”

He rose from the bed and headed downstairs. Richard heard him moving about before returning a couple of minutes later carrying a bottle of wine and two goblets. He set the goblets down on the floor while he removed the stopper, then reached down for the goblets, filling one which he handed to Richard who’d sat himself up against the pillows, then the other for himself.

After they’d each emptied their first servings, Christoph refilled their goblets, then cleared his throat.

“I need to tell you something, Richard, something really important which you may hate me for.”

“Hate you? I couldn’t….”

Christoph kissed him quickly to quiet him.

“Please…let me finish… I need to tell you who I am. You see, I haven’t always been a blacksmith, and I have only lived here in Schwerin for a couple of years. I was sent here by the King and Queen of Charlottenberg along with a company of soldiers in order to discover how King Zoran and Queen Hilda were running their country and treating its subjects following the war. They are believed to be corrupt rulers who had paid off the previous King’s soldiers to lay down arms, allowing them to dethrone him and take over in his stead. Our mission was to live among the commoners to try and gather information and proof where possible, but up until recently we hadn’t managed to come into contact with anyone willing to speak out against the King, even after his disappearance….”

“Recently? You mean when you met me…”

It was a statement rather than a question. 

“So, when I told you about what the King did to me…”

“I knew we could help each other out. I will do everything in my power to stop the Queen’s Guard from taking you in for questioning. I can provide protection for you and for Till. Now that I know what they are up to I sent back word to my parents who have consulted with the other nations’ rulers…”

“Wait a minute…” Richard interrupted, “…your parents consulted with other rulers? Your parents are…”

“The King and Queen of Charlottenberg.” Christoph finished for him. “Yes.”

Richard’s eyes were wide, his jaw dropped open with the realisation.

“You’re a prince?”

“Prince Christoph of Charlottenberg, at your service.”

The prince bowed from his waist, smiling.

“Shouldn’t I be the one bowing? In fact, shouldn’t you be with another prince or princess and not with a commoner like me?”

“I’m with the person I’m meant to be with. Now, are you going to let me continue?”

“I suppose so, Your Majesty…” Richard replied, a touch peevishly.

“Actually, my parents are the ones you should address as ‘Majesty’, for me it’s ‘Your Royal Highness’, but only after all this is over. Can’t have you blowing my cover now, can we?”

He kissed Richard again.

“Now, if I can continue without any more interruptions… as I was saying… once I was certain I could trust you, I needed to find a way to get inside the castle to see the lay of the land. Fetching your horse for shoeing provided that opportunity. Not only that, after what you told me about Till, I wanted to meet him and to get his measure as a man, and to see how he treated you as both your commander and friend….”

“Oh, he wanted to send out people to spy on you for the same reason. I persuaded him not to!”

“I would’ve been disappointed in him if he hadn’t wanted to, to be honest. After speaking with him I could tell he was a good and honest man. I’m actually envious of him getting to spend so much time with you.”

“You have me now…”

“Mmmm. And I plan on having you again before you leave…”

Richard’s face turned a deep red just thinking about that.

“If you’ll let me, I would like to talk with Till again, either here or maybe at your parents’ hut, and tell him why I’m really here, and to let him know that he can rely on me and my men to help out should the Queen’s Guard come for you. What do you think?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll talk to him, see if I can get him to meet you. But it might be easier for you to turn up somewhere unexpected.”

“Well, we’ll discuss it again before you go, but right now I’ve got more important things to take care of…”

He put his goblet down, then took the other from Richard’s hand and set that down too. He rolled back to face Richard and proceeded to kiss him, starting at his temples, then his cheeks, mouth, and jawline, moving onto his neck and clavicle. As he moved lower he pulled the blanket from Richard, and started running his hand over the young man’s chest and stomach albeit still covered by his shirt.

“Can I take your shirt off, love?” he asked, still aware that Richard could be a bit skittish if he did anything unexpected.

The young man nodded, sitting forward and raising his arms so that Christoph could pull the garment over his head. When Christoph resumed kissing him Richard put a hand up to stop him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m completely naked, but you’re still fully dressed,” he replied, pouting.

“You’re right. How inconsiderate of me.”

He got up from the bed again, and stripped off his clothes one at a time, doing it slowly so that Richard could have a show. When he turned back to look at the young man he could see that Richard had an erection to rival his own.

“Do you like what you see?” he asked, flexing his muscles slightly as he walked back to the bed.

Richard nodded, swallowing nervously. Christoph knelt on the bed and crawled back over to where Richard lay. He kissed him again, slowly, his tongue exploring all of Richard’s mouth, one arm pulling the Dragon Warrior closer to him. Richard laid one hand on Christoph’s arm, running it over his large biceps, silently marvelling at the strength there. He grew more confident the longer they kissed, touching Christoph’s pecs and abs, enjoying the feeling of his warm flesh against his own.

Their kisses and caresses became more impassioned, both of them beginning to breathe more heavily, interspersed with occasional moans.

“Wait a moment, love, I need to get something if we’re going to go any further…”

Christoph pulled away, rolling over to reach under the bed, retrieving a lidded clay pot. When he rolled back Richard had drawn his knees up to his chest, curled into a tight ball, hands locked together in front of his shins. His face was a mask of confusion when he saw the jar in Christoph’s hand.

“What’s that?” he asked, unfolding himself as curiosity won over.

“It’s an unguent, to make it more comfortable during lovemaking. Surely you’ve had some applied to you before?”

Richard shook his head. “The only things applied to me before that bastard had his fun were shackles and a gag, usually his disgusting underwear.”

Christoph was horrified.

“That must have been really painful, especially if you weren’t relaxed!”

“There was a reason I was bound and gagged.”

“Oh my poor baby! I hope that bastard is alive - just so I can kill him! I’ll understand if you don’t want to go any further, or I’ll be happy to go on the bottom if you’d prefer?”

“No… I want to make love with you, I just want you to be as gentle as possible.”

“That I can promise you. Here, this is what I’ll be putting on your bum and my cock, have a feel…”

Richard dipped a finger into the pot, getting some of the smooth substance on its tip, then rubbed it between thumb and forefinger.

“It’s slippery…and cold…”

“It warms up the longer you touch it. Do you want to put it on yourself or would you like me to apply it?”

“You do it, please, just make sure it’s warm!”

Christoph laughed. “I’ll do my best. Lie on your stomach so I can see that perfect bum of yours. I just need to spread your cheeks so I can apply it properly, if you want me to stop just say.”

Richard nodded as he rolled over on the bed, resting his head on his arms at an angle he could watch what Christoph was doing. The older man kissed his young lover on the forehead before he got to work warming up the viscous liquid.

“Even your bum is cute, I definitely dropped lucky the day you rode into my life!”

Richard smiled.

“Lucky… that would be a good name for my horse. I might never have met you if he hadn’t lost his shoe.”

“‘Lucky’ it is then! Right, try to relax, this may still feel a little cool…”

Christoph started to daub the unguent over Richard’s entrance, the young man’s muscles stiffening at first then relaxing again as Christoph worked it around the tight ring with his thumb. As he scooped out some more from the jar he explained what he was going to do next.

“I’m going to start working you open, starting with one finger, adding the others one by one as you start loosening up. Once you’re ready that’s when I’m going to enter you.”

With no objections forthcoming from Richard, once he’d warmed up the new scoop of unguent he coated his index finger with it, using his finger tip to circle Richard’s anus then gently applying pressure to start opening him up. When the hole was wide enough he slipped his finger inside Richard who reacted reflexively by squeezing tight around the intrusion. When he relaxed again Christoph started moving his finger backwards and forwards, rubbing his fingertip against the smooth wet walls of Richard’s hole.

The young man shuddered, and started moaning softly, enjoying the sensations that Christoph’s skilled hands were creating. After a minute or so with just one finger he added a second, repeating the process, only this time he scissored his fingers to try and stretch him wider. When one of his fingers brushed against Richard’s prostate the young man gasped and moaned loudly, trying to push himself onto Christoph’s fingers to repeat the feeling.

“You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you, my love?” Christoph asked, knowing the answer before Richard said anything.

Christoph added more of the substance to his fingers, now able to get three of them inside his young lover quite easily, and a fourth soon after. He increased the pace of his thrusts with his hand, making Richard writhe underneath his ministrations, followed by a whine when Christoph removed his fingers.

“You’re ready for me, baby. Do you want me to continue?”

Richard caught his breath before responding with a simple ‘yes’.

Christoph flipped him over onto his back, kissing him passionately. He sat back on his heels while he coated his leaking cock.

“I need you to hold onto your legs for me until I’m in. Try to stay relaxed.”

Once Richard was in position for him Christoph lined up his cock with his hole, pushing the tip against it a few times so that Richard became accustomed to its feel before penetrating him slowly. Richard hissed as the head pushed through the tight ring of muscles, Christoph holding still until Richard’s discomfort passed. He was soon pushing himself all the way in, his hands gripping Richard’s hips for stability. Richard moaned softly, his heart pounding even though Christoph hadn’t begun thrusting.

“I’m going to start moving, if it starts to hurt just tell me, I don’t want to cause you any pain.”

Richard nodded again, struggling to speak in his aroused state. Christoph started grinding his hips against the younger man, increasing the amount he moved with each stroke. His cock hit Richard’s prostate time and again, his lover moaning louder and louder with every thrust. Richard wrapped his legs around Christoph’s back, pinning him in place, his hands gripping the older man’s arms.

Christoph bent his head down to kiss Richard passionately while he fucked him harder, the sound of their bodies crashing against each other filling the room. His own breathing turned heavy, he started panting with the exertion. His arms started to shake from the strain of holding him up, so he changed position, and renewed his thrusting.

He could sense when Richard was close to his orgasm, the younger man was reduced to animalistic sounds, and clung to him tightly. Christoph slowed his pace, making sure every thrust hit Richard’s sensitive spot. The younger man arched his back, squeezing tight around Christoph’s cock, and calling out his name as he came undone beneath him. Christoph filled him with his seed, moaning in his own ecstasy, continuing to pump away until he was spent, only pulling out from Richard when he’d gone soft, mindful that his lover would be feeling highly sensitive to every touch.

Christoph lay down next to Richard, waiting for his heart to stop trying to rip its way out of his chest, pulling the young man into his arms. Richard shuffled as close to him as possible, laying his head on Christoph’s muscular chest.

“I can hear your heart…it’s pounding away like a galloping horse…”

Christoph smiled as he ran his fingers through Richard’s tousled hair.

“That’s the effect you have on me, my love. In just a few short weeks I’ve fallen completely under your spell. I love you more than life itself.”

“I love you too, Christoph. I belong to you now..”

“The only person you belong to is yourself, but I appreciate the sentiment, baby. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m half-asleep. Can you grab the blanket and pull it up, sweetheart.”

After some grumbling about being comfortable and not wanting to move, Richard took hold of the blanket and covered them both with it. He resumed his position resting his head on Christoph’s chest, one arm extended around him, with Christoph’s arm wrapped around his back hugging him to his side. He yawned, and soon drifted off, feeling the happiest he’d ever been.


	10. Chapter 10

They made love again in the early hours of the morning, this time with Richard feeling more confident about showing Christoph how he felt. The storm had finally passed by while they slept, leaving behind heavy downpours, the rain beating down on the roof and against the shutters. They nestled together in the afterglow, telling each other a bit more about what it was like for each of them growing up in their different circumstances.

As dawn broke, Richard started to make plans to return to the castle, although Christoph tried to convince him to stay.

“You’re not safe there, if you stay here you’ll be protected by me and my men.”

“I’d like nothing more than to stay here with you forever, but I’m sworn to serve as a Dragon Warrior. I can’t leave Firefly behind, she’s imprinted on me and won’t accept another rider while she thinks I’m alive, so they may end up killing her instead. Then there’s Till, I won’t abandon him after all he’s done for me, it wouldn’t be right.”

“I know, love, but I’m going to be worried about you all the time we’re apart, and I can hardly just turn up at the castle on a whim to see you.”

“That’s another reason I have to return - you need someone on the inside to tell you what’s happening there. You told me yourself that we can help each other… let me do that.”

Before Christoph could object any further they were interrupted by a banging on the door downstairs. Christoph grabbed his sword which he kept under the bed and headed down the stairs.

“Who is it?” he called, through the door.

“It’s Till. I’m looking for Richard.”

“Are you alone?”

“Only me and my horse here.”

Christoph unlocked the door and stepped back. “Come in.”

Till opened the door and stepped inside, finding himself confronted by a naked man pointing a sword in his direction.

“Close the door.”

Till did as instructed, keeping Christoph in his peripheral vision as he did so.

“Well, is he here? When he didn’t make it back to meet up with me before the storm hit I got concerned. I thought maybe he waited it out here.”

Christoph lowered his sword, satisfied that Till didn’t pose a threat.

“He’s here, and he’s fine. I’ll tell him you’re here. Have a seat.”

As the burly Dragon Warrior pulled out a chair from the table, Christoph made his way back up the stairs. Richard had started getting dressed just in case he needed to spring into action.

“Till’s downstairs. He’s worried about you, too.”

Richard rolled his eyes, as he continued dressing.

“I survived for years on my own as a kid, I’m quite capable of looking after myself. More so now that I’ve had combat training.”

“That’s as maybe, but that doesn’t change the fact that while ever you are up at the castle your freedom, if not your life, is in danger. We’re right to be worried about you.”

Richard sighed. “I promise I’ll be as careful as possible, and if I think that I’m in immediate danger I’ll get out. That’s why Till and I have been making plans.”

“Let’s go downstairs and discuss it with Till, then. I want to be included in the plans if possible.”

He pulled Richard close and kissed him tenderly, releasing him again so they could make their way back down the stairs. Christoph went to get some food together so that Richard could have some breakfast before heading out.

“Would you care for something to eat, Till?”

“If it’s not going to leave you short, then yes, please.”

Christoph set out three plates, then fetched a variety of cured meats, cheeses, fruits, and bread, placing them on the table’s centre. He brought out a bottle of breakfast wine, and poured some out into the clay cups he’d retrieved from a cupboard. While he was still attending to his guests there was a quiet rapping on the door in a distinct pattern.

“Come in, Paul, it’s unlocked.” Christoph called out.

The door creaked as the short man pushed it open, walking in cautiously.

“You’re just in time for breakfast, Paul. Have a seat. Help yourselves, please…”

Having set down everything they might possibly want, including an extra plate and cup for Paul, Christoph sat down on a chair with Richard on his right, Paul on his left, and Till directly across from him.

“So Till, you must have set off at an incredibly early hour from the castle to be here now…”

“Actually, I stayed somewhere nearby overnight, as I got caught out by the storm too.”

“Oh, you mean Richard’s old home?”

Till frowned at that, giving Richard a meaningful glare.

“That was supposed to be a secret. It’s not going to be much good as a bolt hole if everyone knows about its existence.”

“I’ve told Christoph that we’ve been making plans in case we need to make a run for it. He’s offered his and Paul’s help should it become necessary.”

“That’s right, and just so you know your instincts were right about there being more to me than just a blacksmith. Paul, can you lock the door so that no-one can wander in and overhear us, please?”

He waited until his assistant had done as he asked before continuing.

“I told Richard everything last night, and now I’m going to tell you too. Just as Paul and I know of your secret retreat, and will keep it a secret from anyone else, I’m going to trust you with my secret. For the last two years I have assumed the identity of a simple blacksmith and embedded myself in this town close to the castle.

From what Richard has told me about his treatment at the hands of the king and his adviser, and of you and how you’ve always watched out for him, I believe I can trust you with the most sensitive bit of information that I’ve shared with Richard. My parents are the King and Queen of Charlottenberg, and I’m here by their command, and with the backing of the Council of Kings and Queens.”

Till immediately rose from his chair and knelt, head bowed, in deference to the prince.

“Please Till, return to your seat. Treat me as you would a regular citizen…”

After Till had done as requested, Christoph continued.

“My mission is to monitor how King Zoran and Queen Hilda are treating their subjects, gathering evidence and witnesses to speak out against them should that prove necessary, which it has. Until the day that I met Richard no-one had the courage to say anything bad about them, presumably through fear of reprisals. With the information Richard has already provided of his own volition, I have put the troops under my command on standby.

Once I have orders from the Council, we will assemble and intervene, placing Queen Hilda under arrest and trying to uncover the truth about King Zoran’s whereabouts whether he’s alive or not. I hope that you will continue to support Richard, and will keep our confidence, as many lives may depend on it.

I should tell you also that during this short period of time I have fallen in love with Richard, and I want what’s best for him. I have asked him to leave the castle and stay with me for his own safety, but he has so far refused, stating that it could put Firefly at risk, and that by the same token he won’t leave you behind after everything you’ve done for him. Perhaps you could persuade him, but if not, I should like for Paul and myself to be included in your escape plans, so that you have an extra layer of protection.”

He stopped, wanting to hear what Till had to say about what he’d just learnt.

“Of all the people you could have fallen in love with, it just had to be a prince from a foreign nation, didn’t it!?” Till said to Richard.

Till shook his head ruefully as he mulled everything over, raking his fingers through his black hair.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have allies outside of the castle, and one with an entire army at his beck and call could come in handy… I agree that Richard would be safer outside the castle, but his prolonged absence would mark him out as a suspect. I also agree with Richard that Firefly would probably be killed if no-one else can get her to imprint on them, not to mention she’d be useful in a battle if it came to that. 

I suppose that means that we should probably include you in our plans, then. Okay, let’s discuss a few things. How about you tell me exactly what Richard has already blabbed to you, and we can go from there…”

***

They discussed various different options available to them while they ate breakfast, finally settling on a plan of action but with fallback options just in case they needed to adapt to any situation. It was decided that Christoph and Paul should leave with the other two after breakfast so that they could see the location of the stone hut.

The four mounted up and set off along the road out of the town. It was still so early in the morning that no-one else had yet left their lodgings, so the little troop passed by unnoticed. They were soon on the road that led towards the village Richard had lived in after his mother died, and once they had passed the stone that had made Lucky lose his shoe - which Richard pointed out to the others - they gave the horses their heads allowing them to stretch their legs out in a gallop.

As they drew near to the hidden trail Richard and Till started to rein their horses in, the other pair following suit. Richard pointed out the markings that marked the start of the trail, then led the way in through the trees. They dismounted when they reached the clearing which Richard noted had been made larger and weeded out since he’d been there the previous day. He complimented Till on his work as he tied Lucky to the tree they’d been using for that purpose.

The two Dragon Warriors showed the others around inside and out. Till explained what needed to be changed structurally and how they planned to achieve it. Christoph made a few suggestions that he thought might help, and offered to make the iron hinges and brackets needed, along with a few other items. Till then took all three of them along a narrow path he’d made which led to the nearby cliff face, pointing out the rocks he needed to move to the clearing to form part of the stable walls.

Christoph and Paul again offered their services to assist with the renovations, saying that when they didn’t have any smithing to do they could continue the work to help finish it faster, which Richard and Till gratefully accepted. They also devised ways for them to pass messages to each other if necessary.

Till pointed out to Richard that they should get back to the castle as soon as possible before those higher up began to think they were deserters. Paul and Till headed towards the horses so that Richard and Christoph had some privacy while they kissed each other goodbye.

“Don’t forget, if you need us to come but can’t get away yourself send a runner to the forge. We’re easy enough to find even for people who haven’t been to Schwerin before. I’m going to miss you every day we’re apart, so you make sure you come back to me as soon as possible, you hear?”

“I’m going to miss you too. I promise I’ll return at the first available opportunity. I love you, Christoph…”

“I love you too, Richard.”

They shared a prolonged kiss which they only broke off when Till cleared his throat meaningfully.

“We better get going before Till decides to make us do a forfeit. I’ll see you soon, my love…”

Richard mounted Lucky, then waited while Christoph was in his saddle before leading the way back to the road, where the four parted ways. Christoph and Paul returning to the forge, Till and Richard heading for the castle.

***


	11. Chapter 11

The following few weeks passed by with very little incident, as far as the four of them were concerned. 

On their days when they weren’t on duty Richard and Till would ride down to Richard’s hut, as they now referred to it, and would put in a few hours’ work, regardless of whether they went alone or together. It turned out that Richard had inherited some of his father’s skill at carpentry and as such was able to turn some of the surrounding trees into support struts and beams, and a new set of doors for the stables they were creating.

Till was adept at choosing suitable stones and rocks to become part of the walls. They would be joined on occasion by Christoph and Paul, the former lending his strength to Till’s in order to build the walls or to hold the beams in place while Richard nailed them together where he thought the joints needed extra stability. Paul was usually tasked with fitting the metalwork that Christoph had brought with them to whatever they were working on that day, and when he had his hands free he would work on widening the clearing - away from the direction of the road - so that it would be big enough for both dragons to land comfortably, well away from the stables.

On the days that Richard would be out without Till’s company he would ride before dawn, straight to the forge, and have breakfast with Christoph and Paul. Depending on their moods, not to mention the weather, they didn’t always make it to the hut before lunchtime. Paul would make himself scarce once breakfast was over, giving the other two their privacy. Once they’d satisfied their carnal needs they would re-emerge and make their way to the hut.

Before long, with the four of them making excellent progress working together, the hut and the stables were renovated to their satisfaction, and the clearing resembled a small meadow - all still remaining well hidden from view.

“I think it’s time you started training Firefly with her new commands, especially after what’s been going on recently. Have you had a chat with Ollie about him being our messenger yet?”

The four of them were sitting in the clearing eating some of the food they’d brought along with them. There were provisions being gradually stocked up in the hut - this was one of the things entrusted to Paul to do if he had free time when the others were busy working at the castle or in the forge - but these were foods with a long shelf-life, in case the hut was used in an emergency.

“What’s been happening? You’ve not mentioned anything to me…” Christoph interjected.

“That’s only because neither of us have seen you for a few days, so this is the first opportunity.” Richard explained before responding to Till, “I haven’t asked him outright, no. I have been having a few chats with him about various things, to get his opinion about them. I’m pretty certain that he’ll agree and that we can trust him, he’s noticed the same things as we have and is growing concerned.”

“Good. If you want I can talk to him, to reassure him that you have the backing of a senior officer.”

Richard shrugged, not particularly bothered which of them tried enlisting Ollie into their secret plans. Till took a swig from his water bottle before replying to Christoph’s question.

“It seems that, just recently, Queen Hilda has grown rather impatient about not having anyone to punish for the apparent murder of her husband. In the last few days the Queen’s Guard have started rounding up men known to be gay for questioning, and not all of them have been released. Several of us who have to pass the dungeon level on our way to and from the dragons have heard the screaming of men being tortured coming from that tunnel. I can only imagine what they’re being subjected to.”

Christoph was disgusted.

“I suppose that they won’t free anyone they’ve tortured once they’re done with them… and that it is only a matter of time before they find out the names of those … ‘intimate’ …for want of a better word…with the King in the weeks leading up to his disappearance. If we could get an independent witness to the arrests and torture to come forward we’d be able to advance on the castle immediately.”

“I’m not sure there’s anyone who’d be brave enough to be honest with you,” Till replied, “but if we do find someone we’ll get word to you somehow - possibly through Ollie.”

“This Ollie - he looks after Firefly for you, Richard, am I correct?”

“Yes, and Morningstar too on occasion.”

“How will we recognise him? Will you bring him to Schwerin to meet us?”

“Possibly, but you’ll know him when you see him - he’s about a year younger than me, as tall as you…”

“A bit taller, actually…” Till butted in.

“…he keeps his head clean shaven…”

“… I think Firefly burnt it all off…”

“…she did not, Till, and you know it! And the other thing is that Ollie is as skinny as a beanpole.”

“Okay, I think it’s fair to say there aren’t many people like that hereabouts, sounds like we’ll have no problem recognising him. When do you think you’ll be bringing Firefly here for her training sessions? I’d love to see her up close, she sounds amazing.”

“We’re scheduled for an aerial patrol tomorrow actually. We can do a quick tour, flying over Schwerin, giving you notice to get here. Then we’ll continue doing the patrol before splitting up - Richard can come here while I finish the rest of the route so I can give an accurate report on our return.”

“That sounds like an excellent plan. When are you due to start your patrol? I need to know when to look for you.”

“We’ll break fast at dawn, and will be aloft soon after.”

“We better have an early night then!”

The group finished up their meals and gathered their belongings together. Paul and Till busied themselves by tidying up the clearing and securing the hut while Christoph and Richard spent a few intimate minutes sharing goodbye kisses and caresses under the shadow of the trees.

***

“Okay, looks like his Highness has spotted us, so I’ll carry on with the circuit and leave you two girls to play together.”

Till waved goodbye to Richard and turned Morningstar away from Schwerin to continue onwards to the next town on their patrol route. Richard and Firefly turned the opposite direction and headed back over the forest to where the clearing was and set down to wait for Christoph.

It didn’t take long for Christoph to arrive, mounted on the same horse he rode the day before. Although his horse had been in battles before, some including dragons on both sides, it had never been up close to one before and became skittish as it neared the clearing. Christoph decided to dismount and wrap a cloth over its eyes, leading it on to the stables away from the direction of the dragon.

Firefly, meanwhile, had been watching their approach warily, coiling herself protectively around Richard in case they proved dangerous. Richard spoke to her reassuringly, patting her on her sinewy neck and stroking her long snout. When Christoph emerged from the stables he headed towards them at a slow but steady pace as Richard had instructed him to do before they parted the day before. Firefly slowly unfurled herself to let Richard walk away from her, content that he wasn’t in any immediate danger.

“Firefly, this is Christoph…he’s a very good friend of mine, I guess you’d call him my mate, and I want you to treat him like family, okay?”

The dragon huffed a little bit of smoke through her nostrils, then extended her neck to get a closer look at the newcomer. Christoph stood completely still while she appraised him, snuffling at his clothes and hair so close that he could feel the heat escaping her mouth even though she wasn’t threatening him. He knew that one wrong move right now would mean he’d be a well-cooked snack for her. 

Richard was grinning as he watched them both. The morning before, Christoph had been wanting to protect Richard from any threat, right now it was he who looked like needing protection from Richard’s dragon. He waited until Firefly had finished her inspection before calling her off.

“That’s enough now, girl. I think he’s got the message that if he does anything to hurt me that he’ll be answering to you…assuming Till hasn’t finished him off first, that is!”

Firefly snickered as she withdrew, keeping her gaze fixed on Christoph as Richard approached him. The younger man wrapped his arms around the prince and tilted his head up for a kiss, showing Firefly that he didn’t feel threatened in Christoph’s company. When they broke off, Christoph made an admission to Richard.

“I think I might need to change my underwear after that close shave!”

“It’s a good job she wasn’t trying to be overly scary then! Here, come and pet her, you’ll both be more relaxed around each other then!”

Richard led Christoph by the hand over to where the dragon was watching them intently, putting his arm around him when they stood in front of her.

“Scratch her under her chin just here…pat her neck…and stroke her snout this way…that’s it…”

Once they’d spent a few minutes fussing her, Richard told her to find somewhere cosy nearby to have a nap until he called for her. He removed her saddle and harness so she wouldn’t get tangled up in anything, then watched as she launched herself skyward. Now that they were alone the pair quickly went inside the hut and bolted the door shut, kissing hungrily as they eagerly stripped each other’s clothes off, making their way across the floor to the large bed in the far corner.

Christoph had previously left a jar of the unguent in the small cupboard next to the bed so that they could be as intimate as they wanted when they were away from the forge. He reached for it now, not wanting to waste any time, with Richard reclining on the bed nestled against the pillows looking like the very image of perfection as he waited for him.

Within moments Richard was writhing around on the bed, back arched, his hands grasping fistfuls of the rough linen sheet. Christoph smiled and kissed Richard on his inner thighs before climbing on top of him, kissing his mouth and throat as he entered him. Richard moaned and wrapped his legs behind Christoph’s back, pulling Christoph’s head down to him with one hand so that he could kiss him back.

They lost all sense of time as their bodies became entwined over and over again, Christoph occasionally rolling them both over so that Richard could ride his cock, and rolling back again when the younger man showed signs of tiring. Richard came hard, his seed spilling onto his abdomen as he called out Christoph’s name, his lover following soon after, breathing heavily against Richard’s neck as he fought against collapsing on top of him, his hair falling around his face, tickling Richard’s bare skin. Once he’d caught his breath Christoph moved to lie next to Richard, covering his face with soft kisses.  
Richard smiled at him sleepily, feeling the most contented he could ever remember being.

“I wish my parents could have met you, I’m certain they would have loved you as much as I do…”

“I would have liked to have met them too, so I could tell them just how incredible their son is. I hope to take you to meet my parents soon, just as soon as we can arrange enough time away from the castle that won’t raise suspicions, unless you have changed your mind and fancy running away with me right now!?”

“What about your mission? I can’t allow myself to be the reason it fails! And anyway, I don’t have anything to wear to a palace!”

“That can be sorted quickly enough, but okay…duty first! I better let you get back to training Firefly, as much as I’d love to play with your sexy body all day.”

Christoph kissed Richard on the mouth then sat up, looking for something to clean themselves up with. Finding an old rag nearby he quickly wiped himself down before taking care of Richard.

“Come on, love. Time to get up now.”

Richard groaned but pushed himself upright, accepting his clothes which Christoph was holding out for him. They both dressed quickly and headed back outside. Richard looked up at the sky to see if Firefly was circling nearby, but couldn’t see her anywhere.

“Okay, so how do you call a dragon back? It’s not as if you can whistle them like you can with a dog…”

“Actually, I’ve learned that dragon’s senses are much stronger than ours. Provided that she’s no more than say, a mile away, she’ll be able to hear me.”

He put his thumb and forefinger to his lips and gave out a piercing whistle. It only took a minute before they heard the beating of wings close by, coming from the direction of the overhanging cliffs.

“There’s my girl…” Richard said, proudly, as she circled before landing a short distance from them, the downdraught from her wings making their hair and clothes ripple.

He walked forwards and made a fuss of her before putting her harness and saddle back on.

“Firefly, if I’m ever in danger or need help, and if Till isn’t around to tell you what to do, I want you to come and find Christoph. Do you understand?”

Firefly was able to understand a fairly large vocabulary and had been taught certain gestures to respond to questions with. She bobbed her head up and down in an affirmative action.

“Good girl. If Christoph isn’t here at the hut, he will probably be at the forge in Schwerin. That’s the town we flew over with Till this morning before we came here. Do you remember it?”

Another bobbing of the head.

“Good. Now, make sure you remember his scent so you can find him easily.”

Richard beckoned Christoph to draw closer so that Firefly could take a good sniff. She snuffed at his clothing, realising that her master’s scent was all over him, and vice versa. That told her about the nature of their relationship, so she knew that he was a person she could trust. She withdrew and settled on her haunches waiting for her next command. Richard patted her neck and turned to Christoph.

“Are you going to stay and watch us training?”

“Uh…I think I’ve had enough time hanging out with dragons for one day. I must say that I’m very impressed with how calm you are standing next to a creature that could roast you in an instant! Every fibre of my being is telling me to run away as fast as I can, and it’s only because you’re so confident with her that I’ve not acted on that instinct. I don’t know how you do it!”

“She’s a pussycat once you get to know her, really. It’s a shame you’re not staying, but I know not everyone is comfortable around dragons, at least, not at first.”

He stepped up to Christoph and stood on tiptoes to kiss him, the prince pulling him closer to deepen the kiss, one hand caressing the younger man’s cheek.

“I better go, or you’ll never get any training done. I’ll see you again soon, and remember - I love you.”

“I love you too. I’ll wave before we head back, if you’re outside when we pass.”

“I’ll keep one eye on the sky, then. Bye, sweetheart.”

Christoph turned and headed for the stables to retrieve his horse, leaving Richard alone to work with Firefly.


	12. Chapter 12

It took the best part of a week’s training, with Till’s assistance, before Firefly finally got the hang of the new commands and how she should respond to them, but eventually she was able to execute them flawlessly. Things had quietened down at the castle again, mainly because Queen Hilda had been entertaining her family visiting from overseas, come to comfort her in her apparent grief, and so she had halted the rounding up of ‘suspects’ for the duration of their visit.

Christoph had joined the two Dragon Warriors on a couple of occasions, and had done his best to endear himself to Firefly including bringing large joints of raw beef for her to snack on. She seemed to appreciate the gesture and gave him a gentle bump from her snout as a thank you, which made Richard smile happily.

“Oh that’s it, you’re doomed now. Once you feed her she’s yours for life - how do you think I wound up with her!?”

Christoph laughed.

“You make her sound like a stray dog who followed you home!”

“I think I’m the stray dog in this case - I only got to go to the castle because of her.”

***

Till had left just after dawn on a special errand that he’d been summoned the night before to receive. He would be away until late evening if everything ran smoothly. Richard had grumbled at the noise Till had made while getting dressed and ready, turning over to face the wall and pulling the covers up over his head to try and muffle the sound. Once his friend had left, closing the door behind him, he was able to fall asleep once more, glad that he wasn’t required to accompany him on the trip that morning.

Not long after he’d drifted off again he was startled awake as members of the Queen’s Guard burst into the room and dragged him out of his bed.

“Hey! Let me go! What are you…”

He was silenced by a well-aimed blow to his temple, rendering him unconscious and unable to put up a resistance. His wrists were bound together behind his back with a thin rope and then two of them lifted him up by his arms dragging him outside between them.

They hauled him out of the barracks and across the courtyard, to the entrance leading down to the dungeons and beyond them the dragons’ lairs, his bare feet scraping along the floor. Reaching the dungeon level they paused, waiting for the jailer to unlock the door to let them through, then continuing on behind him. The jailer unlocked a cell door and ushered them inside. Untying Richard’s hands they replaced the rope with metal cuffs attached by chains to the cell wall, then left him lying on the damp stone floor, the metal door clanging shut.

Once the guards had gone back up out to the courtyard Oliver, who had been ascending the steps and had heard them approaching, emerged from where he’d been hiding round the corner beyond the tunnel door and continued upwards. Checking that the coast was clear he hurried on to the stables searching for the stableboy who took care of Richard’s horse.

***

It was around lunchtime that Lucky scrambled to a halt outside the forge, with Oliver barely hanging on, all gangly arms and legs. It would have appeared comical to Christoph had the sight of this stranger on Richard’s horse not filled him with instant dread.

“Paul - come quickly!” he shouted, as he took hold of Lucky’s bridle to steady her while Oliver dismounted.

The short man came running at Christoph’s summons and immediately took stock of the situation. He took the reins and led Lucky to be fed and watered while Christoph led Oliver into the cottage to do the same for him. Once Oliver had had the chance to catch his breath, Christoph asked the question that had been burning away at him ever since his arrival.

“What’s happened? Where’s Richard?”

“The Queen’s Guard took him from his bed this morning - he’s in one of the dungeon cells. I saw them carrying him down the steps… I came to tell you as soon as it was safe for me to move.”

“Didn’t Till try to stop them? They are still sharing a room in the barracks aren’t they?”

“Yes, they are … but Till left at dawn on a special errand, and the guards grabbed Richard after he’d left.”

“Bastards! I bet they waited deliberately for Till to be out of the way, they probably concocted the errand with that very purpose. Thank you for coming all this way to tell me. Do you know when Till might be back?”

“According to Morningstar’s handler not until this evening.”

“Right, well, you better get back before you’re missed, and so you can be there when Till returns to tell him what’s happened. Take a while longer to recover from your apparent breakneck journey, then when you’re ready Lucky will be outside for you. Just…take it slower on the way back… I only recently re-shod Lucky, I had hoped they’d last a while longer.”

Christoph left Oliver to eat and drink whatever more he might want and headed to the stables where Paul was attending to Lucky, brushing him down while he munched on some oats from a nosebag.

“Well? Is it as bad as I think?”

Christoph took a steadying breath.

“The Queen’s Guard grabbed Richard from his bed this morning after Till was away from the castle. They took him to the dungeons. Oliver doesn’t know any more than that because he came here as soon as he could to inform me. He’s going back once he’s eaten so that he can be there to break the news to Till. It will be dark by the time we can get a unit assembled, so even if we left immediately we won’t be able to storm the castle safely.”

“I know Richard’s your lover, but storming the castle? Is that the best course of action?”

“Right now, I’d say yes! Who knows what they might be doing to him! The sooner we get there, the better. Put out the call for the men to wait at the assembly point we arranged. We’ll leave at dawn. And Paul…”

“Yes?”

“Don’t question any of my orders in front of the men. If you have any issues with anything I say make sure to speak to me in private. From tomorrow morning we will have to return to the normal hierarchy in order to maintain discipline in the ranks.”

“Of course. Anything else before I go?”

“No, I’ll see that Oliver gets away okay and will make a start with the preparations. Tell the men if they need a new sword or shield that I have some they can pick up from here today.”

Paul nodded, and passed the brush to Christoph before hurrying down towards the town to start the message relays to the soldiers ensconced around the region. Christoph put the brush down in the box reserved for horses kit and removed the nosebag, much to Lucky’s dismay.

“Come now, you’ve got to take Oliver home so I can make plans to rescue your master.”

He led Lucky to the front of the cottage, and held his bridle while the tall youth remounted, somewhat untidily.

“When you see Till tell him that I will be arriving tomorrow and that I’ll have company. Be sure that no-one overhears you. This is for your trouble, and here’s some apples for the stableboy - I’m told he likes them.”

“Thank you, sir. That’s very kind of you.”

“Thank you for looking out for Richard. I hope that he’s able to bear up until I arrive. Safe travels.”

***

Richard groaned as he started to come around, the blow to his temple having left him with a terrible headache. He lifted a hand to his head, the chain rattling as he moved. He opened his eyes and stared horrified at the shackles, tugging at the chains to see if they were loose anywhere, memories of being chained down in the King’s bedchamber flooding his mind.

“Nice to see you awake at last! It’s pointless you trying to slip your bonds, the jailer uses the same type of chains and cuffs that I have in my chamber. Just a pity that they haven’t fully restrained you like you’re accustomed to…”

Richard’s blood ran cold on hearing the king’s voice coming from the other side of the cell. It was so dark in there, even with a small natural opening in the rock letting a sliver of light through, that he hadn’t realised he wasn’t alone. The king had been detained long enough for his eyes to have adjusted to the dim light and had recognised his new cell companion immediately.

Despite the pounding in his head Richard pulled himself to his feet and moved as far away from his abuser as the chains would allow, his entire being shaking from a mixture of fear, anger, and hatred. The king laughed bitterly and rattled his own chains.

“You needn’t worry yourself my pretty one - even if we were both at our chains’ full length I still wouldn’t be able to get my hands…or anything else…on you.”

Richard wasn’t about to move closer to test the theory. He sank down against the wall to seat himself in the corner, wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his head on them. He resolved himself not to give the king the satisfaction of seeing him crying.

“Don’t get too comfy - if my darling wife’s guards follow form - they’ll be back before you know it to take you for questioning about all the wonderful times we spent together.”

“Shut up! You’re a vile human being! How many other young boys have you ruined?”

“Watch your tongue boy! I’m still your King!”

“It doesn’t look that way from where I’m sitting. The Queen has been telling everyone you’re dead! I doubt you’ll leave here alive…”

Richard’s anger had risen to the top of his emotions and, with both their situations looking equally dire, he vented it on King Zoran. Once he’d finished calling him all manner of names he fell silent again bowing his head once more as he awaited his fate. His stomach growled, complaining that it had not had breakfast and it was now approaching lunchtime.

There was the sound of footsteps approaching followed by the jingling of keys as the jailer unlocked the cell door. The same guards who had hauled him from his bed approached, tying his hands together before the shackles were removed and he was again manhandled out the door.

“Enjoy your time with the torturer, I’m sure the experience will remind you of our many times together.”

“Shut your mouth, sodomite! Her Majesty is only keeping you alive out of misplaced sentimentality.”

The jailer slammed the door shut as if to emphasise his point, locking it again and moving to let the guards and their prisoner through each set of gates between the cell and the torture chamber.

***

Oliver was waiting in the dragons’ lair for when Till returned, busying himself looking after Firefly, talking to her softly and petting her in the same way he’d observed Richard doing on numerous occasions. He whispered to her about Richard’s predicament and that Christoph was planning a rescue even though he wasn’t convinced she understood what he was telling her.

Finding the forge had been easy enough - Lucky apparently knew the route well, although there was a moment as they were cantering along the road through the forest where the horse had slowed to a stop for no visible reason, prancing on the spot until Oliver managed to coax him onward. He assumed there must have been a wild boar or something similar nearby that spooked Lucky, and the horse only budged once it had moved on.

Oliver had tried to eavesdrop on any of the Queen’s Guard that passed him during the afternoon to see if he could glean any information about Richard but to no avail. It was almost dusk now and Till should return at any moment. While he was pondering if there might be other ways to get news about the Dragon Warrior he served he heard the beating of wings, followed by a draught that washed through the lair as Morningstar’s landing displaced the air around him. The skinny youth got up, patted Firefly again and headed round to meet Till as he dismounted from the large golden dragon.

“Thank goodness you’re back!”

Till was surprised, Oliver usually only spoke the odd monosyllabic word to him, something was definitely up.

“What’s wrong? Can it wait until I’ve eaten?”

“Richard’s been taken to the dungeons - he’s been there all day!”

“Shit! Have you sent word to Christoph?”

“I went there myself straight away, I wanted to ensure he got the correct information. He said to tell you that he’ll be here tomorrow with company.”

“I only hope that’s not too late, Richard’s stronger than he looks but the things I’ve heard that go on down those tunnels…”

He shuddered, and prayed to whatever god that might be listening to look after Richard.

“Thank you for telling me. If there’s…a struggle tomorrow…you should stay out of the way, either down here with the dragons, or perhaps in the stables, in case you need to make a run for safety. Richard would want you to be unharmed no matter what.”

“Yessir. Thank you sir.”

“I hope I can trust you to keep quiet about the castle’s unexpected visitors tomorrow?”

“Of course sir. Can I do anything else to help?”

“Nothing I can think of right now. I best get on and speak to the men I know will help tomorrow.”


	13. Chapter 13

After several hours at the hands of the Queen’s torturer Richard had been returned to the cell, battered and bloodied, and unconscious once again. The guards chained him back up and left. They had reported the results of the torturer’s work to the Queen and left her to decide what course of action she wanted to pursue. They were summoned to the throne room a short while later and given their orders. 

As dawn was breaking Richard was dragged out into the main courtyard in front of a small crowd of carefully selected witnesses, including Till, and held still while his alleged crimes were read out. Firefly had also been brought into the courtyard ahead of the assembly and was under Oliver’s control for the time being. When Till saw the state his friend was in he exploded with rage, and fought his way towards him.

It took several soldiers to stop his advance, hauling him away to the cells to cool off while Richard’s sentence was carried out, the large man struggling against his captors every step of the way.

“Don’t give up, Richard!” Till managed to call out before he was bundled down the stone steps, but Richard showed no sign of having heard, much less respond.

“Now that minor disturbance is out of the way, we can proceed. Ladies and gentlemen, the man before you has been found guilty of the murder of His Majesty King Zoran, and has been sentenced to death…by dragonfire.”

There was a collective gasp from the gathered crowd. Oliver now realised why he’d been ordered to bring Firefly to the courtyard and was wondering how he might be able to get her to fly off instead without being held responsible. As Richard was unable to stand on his own two feet without help, and as the guards had no desire to be burned to a crisp themselves, they left him kneeling on the ground and moved to a safe distance. In the silence before the command was given to Firefly to unleash her fire Richard lifted his head to look at her and whispered two words, confident that her acute hearing would pick them up.

“Hilf mir.”

Firefly pounced forward, looking for all the world like an oversized cat leaping on a mouse, and snatched Richard up in the claws of one of her front feet. The crowd scattered in fear, her sudden unexpected movement catching them all off guard, which was the plan. Before anyone could get their wits together Firefly sprang upwards, carrying Richard away from the castle as quickly as she could.

She headed for the mountains high up, circled round them until they were between her and the castle, then dropped to a lower elevation whilst simultaneously changing direction, heading in the direction of the cottage. She circled over it but didn’t detect anything that suggested that Till and Morningstar were there.

Carrying on, she headed for Schwerin following the command to seek out Christoph should Till not be around to give her further instructions. She made quick progress over the forest and was descending towards the town just as the sun was rising above the mountain range.

Despite the early hour there were several townsfolk out, setting their wares out for the day’s trading ahead. Seeing the dragon circling overhead caused a stir, several men scrambling to get whatever weapons they had to hand, the women rounding up their children and ushering them indoors. Hearing the ruckus Christoph ran from his forge where he’d been getting prepared to depart for the castle, Paul hot on his heels. Spotting what had caused the commotion he shouted above the hubbub.

“Stop! Don’t attack her! I know that dragon - you’ll be perfectly safe unless you provoke her. Please, give her some room to land….”

The townsfolk didn’t know what was more surprising - that their blacksmith claimed to ‘know’ a dragon, or that he was dressed in leather armour and looked to be preparing to go to war. Nevertheless they moved away to leave a very large space in the town square. Moments later Firefly set down gracefully, her wings whipping up clouds of dust with their downdraught, causing everyone to take a few more steps back to avoid choking. 

She kept one wing shielding one side of herself, and kept a sharp eye on the people gathered about, daring them to approach. Christoph made sure to walk towards her from the front, making sure that Firefly could recognise him before he got close. She extended her neck towards him, sniffing his scent, then pulled back. She folded back the wing she’d been using as a shield and stretched out her foreleg, carefully placing her precious cargo on the ground in front of her, snuffling at him gently.

“Richard! What has that bitch done to you!?”

Christoph hurried forward and knelt down next to his lover, looking him over, taking in his wounds. He looked up at Firefly.

“Thank you for bringing him to me. You’re a good girl.”

Standing up he took charge of the situation.

“Paul - fetch Flake and a stretcher. Send a dispatch to my parents to confirm we’re going in this morning as planned while you’re at it. Can someone get me some meat for Firefly please?”

Flake lived close to the town centre so arrived quickly, carrying a stretcher under his arm. Paul wasn’t far behind having found one of the soldiers arriving and passing on the duty of getting a dispatch sent. He hurried back, wanting to be on hand for his prince in case he needed anything else. Richard had stirred briefly while Paul was away, and had spoken a few words before losing consciousness again.

“King Zoran…alive…In dungeons…Till arrested…”

Those that were in earshot had gasped again, and passed on what he’d said to the others nearby. It wouldn’t be long before the whole town new that their king still lived.

“Paul…Flake… I want you to look after Richard. Take him to my cottage first, get him stable, then if it’s safe to move him take him to his hut, and wait for me there. Perhaps a couple of people here could help you move him?”

“Yes, your Highness. Anything else I can do?”

“The most important thing you can do is to keep Richard safe for me. I want him to have a friendly face when he wakes up again. The men are waiting for me, we need to go if we are to maintain the element of surprise.”

Paul and Flake bowed as he left, then hurried to put Richard on the stretcher, watched over by Firefly like a mother hen would her chicks. Christoph strode quickly away, with the observers whispering in his wake, puzzled by his armour and the deference that his two friends were showing to him.

He returned to the forge where one of his soldiers had been taking care of his horse in his brief absence. The man helped him on with his breastplate and waited until the prince was mounted before handing up his helmet, sword and shield respectively, then hurried to his own mount. The two left immediately to join with the company of soldiers waiting a short distance away in the forest.

Paul managed to get a couple of volunteers to help with moving Richard’s stretcher into the smith’s cottage, all of them nervous of the dragon’s close proximity. Firefly continued to watch them closely, but sensing no hostile intentions let them leave with her master, rising into the sky once again to circle over the town to watch where they took him.

From her vantage point she could see Christoph and his men riding along the main route from town through the forest, headed for the castle. She watched their progress for a short while before deciding that the small snack the butcher in Schwerin had given her wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy her hunger, and headed to the mountains to see if she could find a stray goat or ten to munch on.

In the smith’s cottage Paul and Flake were busy fussing over Richard. Flake acted as field medic for Christoph’s company and as such was able to spot the sign of broken bones amongst other maladies. While he examined Richard he gave Paul instructions on what items he needed, including a bowl of hot water and clean cloths. 

Paul used these to wash away all the blood so that Flake could make a better assessment of what needed to be done. Richard’s shoulder was dislocated and needed to be reset, Flake found a few broken bones and would need to bind them with splints so that the bones would knit properly, not to mention several cuts and abrasions.

“I’ll need him to swallow some milk of the poppy, it will help him stay asleep while I work on him and will help the healing process. Can you hold his head up and tilt it back so I can administer it, please? I don’t want him to choke on it or Prince Christoph will stick my head on a stake.”

“He won’t do that and you know it! But I’ll do as you ask.”

The two set to work patching Richard up as best they could, taking them up to midday. They paused for a brief meal before Paul went in search of a horse drawn cart which they would use to transport their patient to his hut. Once again they enlisted the help of a couple of men from the town to load him onto the cart. The men climbed on the seat up front with the driver whilst Flake sat in the cart with Richard, Paul riding alongside on his warhorse.

***

Christoph and his men rode swiftly through the forest, only slowing when they reached villages so they didn’t accidentally ride anyone down. It was still mid-morning when they arrived at the bottom of the mountain trail leading up to the castle. They had to slow their pace and ride three abreast instead of the six to a row that they had maintained along the wide forest road.

A couple of outriders went ahead of the rest of the company to announce the arrival of Prince Christoph to the gatekeepers who, fortunately, were men loyal to Till and had been given prior instructions to let the prince and his men through. The gatekeepers stood aside to allow the outriders through, followed swiftly by the rest of the mounted company.

The Queen’s Guard weren’t anywhere to be seen in the main courtyard - following the debacle at dawn they were busy trying to explain the situation to their monarch and drawing up plans on how to search for their missing dragon and prisoner, or were trying to find new suspects to interrogate. As a result Christoph’s company was able to take control of the castle with very little resistance.

The soldiers loyal to Till had told Christoph’s men how to get to the dungeon level, one of them going with the soldiers dispatched to free Till and the other prisoners to get the prison guard to open the gate, surprising them with the soldiers who would storm in before they got the chance to slam the gate shut again.

The arrival of the prince and his men caused a major stir within the castle grounds, with people from every level gathering to find out why the prince had made this unexpected visit. The stableboy that looked after Richard’s horse Lucky stood next to Oliver who whispered in his ear about the prince’s previously secret identity and his friendship with Richard and Till, although he didn’t know the full extent of their relationship. The stableboy’s eyes widened in amazement and grew excited about what might happen next.

The Queen swept down into the courtyard, facing across from Christoph, she surrounded by her guards, and he his company of soldiers.

“Prince Christoph! What an unexpected pleasure … had I known you were going to pay our humble home a visit I would have laid out a welcoming party. Will you be staying long? I need to inform the kitchen staff of the extra numbers required…”

“This isn’t a social visit Queen Hilda. I’m here on the authority of the Council of Kings and Queens to place you under arrest for…”

At those words the Queen’s Guard formed a tighter formation around Queen Hilda and drew their swords. Echoing the events of that morning the assembled onlookers gasped at the drama unfolding before their eyes.

“Arrest me? Ludicrous! On what charge?”

Christoph’s gaze flicked over to the entrance leading to the dungeons and dragons’ lairs, his attention caught by his soldiers re-emerging with not only Till, but King Zoran too. He continued.

“On the charges of false imprisonment, the faking of King Zoran’s death, the illegal torture and murder of prisoners…”

He carried on listing a few more charges, which the Queen staunchly protested against, but her words trailed off as everyone started looking over at the other side of the courtyard where King Zoran was being escorted by Christoph’s soldiers. Christoph addressed the crowd.

“As you can see King Zoran has not been murdered, but has instead been languishing in the dungeons. All those that had been accused of his murder are innocent of that charge, unfortunately this comes too late for some. King Zoran is not an innocent in this, he will be charged with a number of crimes himself, including the rape of underage children.”

There were angry murmurs from the crowd. Christoph spoke again before any trouble erupted.

“Please return the prisoner to his cell while he awaits trial. Take Queen Hilda into custody, along with anyone who prevents you from carrying out your duty.”

Some of the Queen’s Guard put up a struggle before they were outnumbered and disarmed, but those who weren’t part of the Queen’s inner circle laid down their weapons and stood aside peacefully to allow Christoph’s men to take her and her loyal guardsmen down to the dungeons. Till walked towards Christoph, a worried look on his face but otherwise no worse for wear following his few hours of detention. Christoph dismounted in order to greet him. Before he could say anything Till asked him several questions while scanning the courtyard for his friend.

“Where’s Richard? Have you seen him? Is he alright? Did Ollie get word to you in time? When did you get here?”

Christoph clasped his hands on Till’s shoulders, to calm him down and get him to listen.

“Firefly brought Richard to Schwerin around dawn, Paul and Flake are looking after him. He was in pretty bad shape, but I’m certain my men can heal him. Once I knew he was in safe hands I came straight here. We arrived less than half an hour ago, Richard told us where to find you. Once the situation here has calmed down I’ll go back for him. Right now I could use your help securing the castle.”

***


	14. Chapter 14

Richard drifted in and out of consciousness. When he started coming round again he thought he heard a woman’s voice talking to someone, sounding both near and a long way off at the same time.

“Mama…is that you?”

“Hush…rest now…you’re safe…”

He felt a cool damp cloth being placed on his forehead, then the voice started singing softly, a song he thought he recognised from when he was a young boy. The soothing melody coupled with the cooling cloth helped sleep to pull him back into its clutches. The woman spoke to the room’s other occupant.

“I can see why you were drawn to him, you always did like to bring home pretty creatures that were in need of love and caring attention. I know you told me that Richard is a trained Dragon Warrior, but right now he seems like a young boy in need of his mother, poor lamb…”

“Richard’s stronger than he looks, older than he looks too…” Christoph started to object, but his mother cut him off.

“I wasn’t implying that he was some underage child, I brought you up better than that, I know you wouldn’t do something so immoral… which is more than can be said about that wretched man you’ve got locked up in the dungeons! I just want you to be sure that Richard isn’t another one of your pity projects. It would be unfair to him to continue a relationship if you aren’t certain how you feel about him.”

“I AM certain about my feelings for him. I love him with every fibre of my being, it took all my self-control not to kill those monsters for what they both put him through. When I thought that I might lose him I couldn’t breathe… He is the bravest, most caring, most loyal, kindest person I know. I can’t imagine a life without him… so much so that I want yours and father’s permission to ask him the question.”

The Queen of Charlottenberg regarded her son silently for a few moments, measuring his sincerity. Finally she nodded.

“I believe you, and I trust your judgment. I will intercede with your father on your behalf, but I can’t see him objecting. Now, go and finish your duties. I’ll watch over Richard until either you or his friend - Till, isn’t it? - until one of you comes to relieve me.”

Christoph gave his mother a kiss on her cheek, whispering a thank you as he stood back up before moving to the head of the bed and placing a gentle kiss on the lips of his unconscious lover. 

***

He didn’t wake again until the following morning as the sun’s rays managed to find cracks in the shutters to filter through, bathing the room in soft light.

As he blinked into full wakefulness he noticed a number of things. Firstly that he wasn’t in as much pain as he had anticipated, although the fuzziness in his head told him that he’d probably been given something to numb the pain. Next he realised he was in a strange room and a strange bed. A bed that was bigger and far more comfortable than any he’d ever slept in before. As his gaze swept around the room it settled on Christoph who was dozing in a nearby chair, looking thoroughly exhausted. As Richard tried to shift position to attempt sitting up the prince stirred from his slumber and, seeing Richard looking alert, immediately rose from his seat and crossed the floor towards him.

“Hey sweetheart! I’m so glad to see you awake! Wait a moment and we’ll get you upright… Till!”

The last was shouted over his shoulder in the direction of the door, which opened almost straight away, the larger of the two Dragon Warriors entering with a worried expression which melted away instantly upon seeing Richard awake.

“Help me with sitting Richard upright…”

Christoph carefully lifted Richard up off the bed by placing one arm behind the young man’s shoulders and the other holding one of Richard’s hands. As Richard moved forward he felt a stab of pain and gripped Christoph’s hand so tight that the prince thought he might break his fingers. Once the pain had subsided Christoph helped him up a little more so that Till could rearrange the pillows behind him to enable him to sit upright. Christoph gently lowered him back against the pillows.

“Does that feel okay, love? Are you in any pain? Can I get you anything?”

“There’s some pain, but it’s not too bad right now. It only hurts when I breathe…” he gave a wan smile. “What happened? Where am I?”

“Firefly brought you to me, I had Paul and Flake look after you while I took the castle and released Till, then had you brought here to continue your recovery. You’re in the queen’s bedchamber - we made sure you had completely new bed linens and pillows to sleep on. You’ve been asleep for the best part of two days…you had me so worried.”

He leaned forward to give Richard a gentle kiss.

“Is Firefly alright? Does she know I’m safe?”

Till answered him. “She’s fine, she kept track of your movements to the hut and then back here. Oliver is taking good care of her, she’s been given extra treats for doing a great job following your order.”

Till gave Richard’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before continuing, “It’s good to see you awake and on the mend. Now, I’m sure you two would like a bit of privacy so I’ll go back to the antechamber.” He smiled at Richard and nodded at Christoph as he left through the door he’d previously entered by.

“Was there a woman in here? I thought I heard singing while I was asleep…”

Christoph smiled. “That was my mother. She and my father arrived that first evening, they had set off once they received word that I was taking my company to the castle in order to remove Queen Hilda. She helped with bathing you and changing your dressings.”

Richard’s eyes were wide as he took a peep under the covers and looked back at his lover, cheeks turning crimson.

“Your mother? You mean to tell me that the Queen of Charlottenberg has seen me naked?”

Christoph laughed softly. “I’m sure you don’t have anything that my mother hasn’t seen before…”

As if saying her name had conjured her presence the Queen swept into the room, Till holding the door open, bowing low as she passed. She tutted and tilted his chin up with light fingers.

“Oh, do get up Till, there’s no need for that while it’s just us! Save the pomp and ceremony for when the courtesans or the staff are about.”

Till straightened and went to stand back out on guard in the antechamber, closing the door quietly behind himself.

“Now then, let me take a look at our patient. How are you feeling my dear?”

Richard tried sitting up to give at least a bow of his head, but Christoph gently pushed him back against the pillows.

“I’m feeling much better, thank you, Your Majesty. I’m sorry I’m unable to pay you the proper courtesies. I’m told I should thank you for helping look after me.” His cheeks flushed with colour again.

“Nonsense, liebchen, do you bow down every time Christoph enters a room?” Richard shook his head no. “Then you needn’t for me either, except in the same circumstances as I’ve told your friend Till he should. You should know he’s been fussing round you like a mother hen and her chick while you slept. It was difficult to get him to get some rest for himself. The same goes for my boy here. You’ve certainly cast a spell over him! Now, let me take a look at your dressings…”

Christoph moved to one side to give his mother access to the bedside. She peeled back the sheets and inspected the various bandages and splints, removing a couple of bandages to check on the condition of the wounds underneath. Holding her hand out for the bowl of water nearby which Christoph held out for her, she wet a cloth and cleaned up the wounds, administering a salve and then replacing the used bandages with clean ones. While she was busy working on Richard, his face started to turn ashen with a waxy sheen as the pain started to return. Spotting the rapid change in his complexion she swiftly poured a milky liquid from a small vial into a cup of water and got him to drink it down. The medicine worked quickly, Richard soon losing consciousness, his body relaxing against the pillows.

“Richard needs a great deal more rest, you should try to keep him relatively flat so his bones can knit together properly. Only sit him up for a few minutes at a time, and make sure you keep him hydrated. If he’s still in a lot of pain when he wakes, put a few drops of milk of the poppy in his drink, and let him sleep. If he feels like eating let me know and I’ll arrange for something suitable. I spoke to your father before coming here, you have our blessing if you want to make things official with Richard. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the other heads of state are beginning to arrive ahead of the summit to decide the future of this kingdom, and how to deal with Zoran and Hilda.”

The Queen embraced her son affectionately then swept regally out of the bedchamber.

***

A few days later the hustle and bustle in the castle had died down. The Council heads had decreed that King Zoran and Queen Hilda should be taken to Charlottenberg where they would stand trial for their numerous crimes. They were bundled into a metal cage prison wagon, along with Zoran’s personal assistant and a number of the Queen’s Guard, certain of an uncomfortable journey back along the uneven roads under heavy guard.

Christoph’s parents had remained a while longer before returning home, helping implement the change of ruler at the castle, making sure the caretaker monarch had everything he needed to run the kingdom smoothly while the Council decided who would be most suited to take on the role permanently.

Richard’s wounds were healing well, and he was now able to potter about the bedchamber comfortably, often moving to sit at the window to gaze out across the land below, occasionally catching glimpses of Firefly as she joined Till and Morningstar on their manoeuvres albeit without a rider. She would sometimes fly close to where Richard sat watching and give out a call to let him know she was there.

One afternoon, after all the affairs of state had been settled for the day, Christoph arrived in the bedchamber followed by servants who placed a small table and two chairs in the room, laying the table with fine crockery and silver utensils before serving the meal that Christoph had requested be brought to them. Their task done they bowed to the prince and took their leave.

Christoph helped Richard into one of the chairs before taking his own seat. They talked while they ate about the disputes Christoph had been asked to settle, and the various albeit limited activities Richard had done during the day. Once they’d eaten Christoph helped Richard back to the bed, perching him on one side of it instead of helping him get under the covers as he would normally, then knelt down on one knee before him.

Richard had never seen or heard of anyone doing this before except when in the presence of a monarch, but to his mind this picture was the wrong way round. If anyone should be kneeling in this situation it should be him, so he was confused. Christoph searched inside one of his pockets for a moment, fishing out and concealing the item had been looking for, then gazing up into Richard’s eyes.

“I’ve never done this before so please forgive my nervousness. I would have liked to have asked you sooner but while you were still taking milk of the poppy I couldn’t be certain that any answers weren’t influenced by it….”

He paused to catch his breath and steady his nerves.

“Richard…my love and my life… would you do me the honour of being my husband and Prince-Consort?”

“Your husband? Is that allowed? Don’t you have to have a wife in order to continue the royal lineage or something?”

Christoph sighed. “That wasn’t the answer I was hoping for. But to answer your questions; yes, I’m allowed to marry a man If I wish. I’m not the first in line to my parents’ throne, my sister is, and she already has children who will be next in line ahead of me, so the lineage is safe as things stand. So, if you don’t have any follow up questions, can I get an answer before I lose my mind?”

Richard fidgeted nervously for a moment while he thought things through before taking a deep breath and looking Christoph in the eyes.

“Yes!”

Christoph grinned as he slipped the ring he’d been concealing onto Richard’s finger, kissing him passionately until they both ran out of air.

“Oh, I should probably tell you now, full disclosure and all that… once you’re fully recovered I’ll need your assistance with something.”

“Okay, what’s the something?”

“Nothing major… Running this kingdom… stuff like that…”

“Oh boy…”

***


End file.
